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A  UTHOR: 


CHARLEY,  L. 


TITLE: 


OPPORTUNITIES,  HOW 
TO  MAKE  THE  MOST  ... 


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Charley,  L. 

...  Opportunities,  how  to  make  the  most  of  them,  by 
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1 


MfiNUFflCTURED   TO   PIIM   STONDflRDS 
BY  PPPLIED   IMfiGE,    INC. 


HOW  TO  MAKE 
THE  MOST  OF  THEM 

L.CHARLEY 


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11  * 


OPPORTUNITIES 

HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  MOST 

OF  THEM 


THE  TEN   TITLES  IN   THE 

MENTAL   EFFICIENCY   SERIES 

POISE:  HOW  TO  ATTAIN  IT 
CHARACTER:  HOW  TO  STEENGTHEN  IT. 

TIMIDITY:  HOW  TO  OVEBCOME  IT 
Yoritomo-Tashi  _^  .^ 

INFLUENCE:  HOW  TO  EXEET  IT 

Yoritomo-Tashi  _,^««  .rrH 

COMMON  SENSE:.  HOW  TO  EXEECISB  IT, 

Yoritomo-Tashi  .  ^^-r^^-r.  -mi 

PRACTICALITY:  HOW  TO  ACQUIEE  IT 

"R    N^ICOLLE 

OPPORTUNITIES:    HOW  TO  MAKE  THE 
MOST  OF  THEM 

T      Ottartkv 

PERSEVERANCE:  HOW  TO  DEVELOP  IT 

H.  Besser 
SPEECH:   HOW  TO  USE  IT 
EFFECTIVELY 

^ANTHES 

PERSONALITY:  HOW  TO  BUILD  IT 
H.  Laukent 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY; 
Publishers 

NEW  TOBK  AND  LONDON 


I 


I 


MENTAL  EFFICIENCY  SERIES 

OPPORTUNITIES 

HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  MOST 

OF  THEM 

By  L.  CHARLEY 

Tbanslated  by  L.  O'Rourke,  M.A. 


AUTHORIZED  EDITION 


"Opportunity  knocks  at  lecut  onc0  at  wery  man*s  door; 
it  ia  the  d$af  a/nd  the  irresolute  that  it  passes  by** 


I®  fm^ 


FUNE   &   WAGNALLS    COMPANY 


NEW  YOBK 


LONDON 


1916 


to 


. '^lL&O  >    J<  ( 


Copyright,  1915,  bt 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

[Printed  in  the  United  States  of  Americal 

All  rights  reserved 


170 

an 


PREFACE 

To  some  readers  of  this  book  the  word  Oppor- 
timity  may  serve  to  recall  the  immortal  lines 
penned  by  William  Shakespeare — ^'^  There  is  a 
tide  in  the  affairs  of  men,  which,  taken  at  the 
flood,  leads  on  to  Fortune."  True  as  this  may 
be,  in  part,  the  reader  of  these  pages  will  not  find 
it  amiss  to  bear  in  mind  that  there  is  a  turn  to 
every  tide,  and  that  while  some  tides  wash  us  up 
high  and  dry,  leaving  us  in  aflBuence  on  the 
banks  of  El  Dorado,  others  take  us  out  far  be- 
yond our  depths  and  leave  us  to  the  mercy  of 
the  rude  stream  that  may  hide  us  for  ever. 

As  the  author  of  this  book,  Mr.  L.  Chaeley 
teaches  us  that  in  this  life  the  advantages  which 
we  obtain  bear  a  direct  proportion  to  the  exer- 
tions which  we  put  forth  to  secure  them.  He  takes 
as  his  motto,  "Opportunity  knocks  at  least  once 
at  every  man's  door ;  it  is  the  deaf  and  the  irreso- 
lute that  it  passes  by."  So  as  to  better  present 
his  subject  he,  at  the  outset,  compares  and  con- 
trasts Chance,  Hazard,  Fortune,  and  Luck.  He 
shows,  also,  the  relation  of  Luck  to  Fetishism, 

III 


IV 


PREFACE 


and  discusses  the  part  which  Fortune  plays  in 
life.  Even  tho  the  mines  of  knowledge  have 
often  been  laid  bare  by  the  divining-rod  of 
Chance— the  hazel-wand  of  fetishism— it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  Providence  gives  us 
Chance,  and  that  man  must  mold  it  to  his  ad- 
vantage. Altho  Fortune  befriends  the  bold, 
every  one  may  be  the  architect  of  his  own  for- 
tune if  he  makes  use  of  his  advantages.  Great 
opportunities  come  to  all,  and  the  secret  of 
success  in  life  is  to  be  ready  to  grasp  them  when 
they  arrive.  It  was  Austin  Phelps'  belief  that 
vigilance  in  watching  Opportunity;  tact  and 
daring  in  seizing  upon  Opportunity;  force  and 
persistence  in  crowding  Opportunity  to  its  ut- 
most of  possible  achievement — ^these  are  the  mar- 
tial virtues  that  command  Success. 

One  of  England's  famous  orators  of  the  last 
century — the  Earl  op  Derby — declared  that  op- 
portunity came  sooner  or  later  to  all  who  worked 
and  wished.  This  does  not  mean  that  he  who 
goes  about  with  open  mouth  wishing  for  the 
ripest  cherries  is  to  be  the  only  one  to  receive 
the  choicest  fruits  that  fall  from  the  trees.  One 
must  work  as  well  as  wish.  "If  you  want  to 
succeed  in  the  world,"  said  an  orator  of  quite 
another  stamp,  John  B.  Gough,  **you  must 


PREFACE  V 

make  your  own  opportunities  as  you  go  on.  The 
man  who  waits  for  some  seventh  wave  to  toss 
him  on  dry  land  will  find  that  that  seventh  wave 
is  a  long  time  coming.'*  Like  Dr.  Matthews,  the 
eminent  author  of  "Getting  on  in  the  World," 
Mr.  Charley  believes  that  unless  a  man  has 
trained  himself  for  his  opportunity,  the  oppor- 
tunity when  it  comes  will  serve  only  to  make 
him  ridiculous.  To  every  man  each  opportunity 
is  worth  exactly  what  he  is  prepared  to  make  of 
it — so  much  but  no  more.  For  this  reason,  Mr. 
Charley  admonishes  every  one  of  us  to  watch 
our  opportunity  and  to  grasp  it  when  it  comes, 
for  then  is  the  golden  moment  in  which  we  may 
reap  the  reward  of  our  efforts. 

Mr.  Charley  discusses  the  possibility  of  out- 
ward influences  conducing  to  fortune,  but,  like 
his  famous  forerunner,  Bacon,  implicitly  be- 
lieves that  the  mold  of  every  man's  fortune  is  in 
his  own  hands.  He  advocates  the  views  so 
tersely  exprest  by  Franklin  in  these  words,  * '  To 
be  thrown  upon  one's  own  resources,  is  to  be 
cast  into  the  very  lap  of  fortune ;  for  our  facul- 
ties then  undergo  a  development  and  display  an 
energy  of  which  they  were  previously  unsus- 
ceptible." The  Reader  who  looks  for  success 
must  be  ever  vigilant.    Alert  to  all  opportuni- 


jA 


PREFACE 


ties,  lie  must  descry  them  at  a  distance,  observe 
their  approach  toward  him,  prepare  to  receive 
them,  and  as  they  advance  grasp  them  as  he 
would  the  hand  of  his  dearest  friend,  for  his 
hour  has  struck  and  Fortune  stands  at  the 

threshold. 

The  Pxjblishees. 


I 


CONTENTS 

Preface .  iii 

I.  What  is  Fortune? 9 

II.  Watch  Your  Opportunity  and  For- 
tune Will  Favor  You   ...  22 

III.  Luck  and  Fetishism 35 

rV.  Fortune  Favors  the  Bold  ....  52 

V.  Luck  and  Chance 66 

VI.  The  Part  That  Luck  Plays  in  Life  .  80 
VII.  Opportunity    and    Fortune    in    the 

Lives  of  Great  Men  ....  97 

VIIL  How  to  Conquer  Fortune  ....  110 

IX.  Fortune's   Fluctuations    .     .     >:     .  124 


■  '1 


vii 


CHAPTER  I 

WHAT  IS  FORTUNE? 

Belief  in  fortune,  or  luck,  is  a  relic  of  super- 
stition, reviving  vaguely  in  the  mind  of  man  the 

idea  of  Fate. 

Those  who  regard  themselves  as  pawns  of  for- 
tune like  to  represent  it  to  themselves  as  some- 
thing obscure,  yet  predominant.    They  allow  it 
the  power  of  constraining  events  so  that  they^ 
must  needs  bend  to  the  laws  of  a  destiny  whose 
decrees  are  inscribed,  so  to  speak,  in  the  book  of 
fate.    To  be  lucky  {avoir  la  veine)  signifies  for 
them  the  reaching  without  difficulty  of  the  goal 
of  their  hopes.    It  means,  further,  to  participate 
in  the  benefits  dispensed  by  some  event,  as  ad- 
vantageous as  it  is  undeserved,  without  having 
made  any  effort  to  bring  it  about. 

Luck,  or  good  fortune,  consists  in  the  unsus- 
pected occurrence  of  some  favorable  event. 

In  another  phase,  it  is  the  manifestation  of  an 
unexpected  solution  of  a  problem  of  which  the 
issue  can  not  be  precisely  determined. 

Chance  {kasard)  sometimes  stamps  itself  so 

9 


10 


OPPORTUNITIES 


deeply  upon  the  physiognomy  of  things  tiiat 
many  have  been  wont  to  clothe  it  with  a  sort  of 
personality,  and  have  given  it  a  name.  They  like 
to  represent  chance  as  a  smiling  divinity,  ca- 
pricious and  fantastic  withal,  something  that  can 
be  startled  by  a  mere  nothing,  that  takes  flight 
upon  the  instant,  and  as  suddenly  returns.  They 
think  that  it  is  blind,  and  accuse  it  of  favoritism 
if  it  seems  to  concern  itself  with  other's  interests. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  it  turns  in  their  own  direc- 
tion they  rarely  recognize  the  fact.  On  the  part 
of  some  this  faint  blindness  is  still  mere  super- 
stition. 

To  acknowledge  that  you  have  been  visited  by 
fortune  seems  to  the  superstitious  a  sort  of  bra- 
vado in  the  face  of  destiny.  They  contend  that 
the  established  fact  of  prosperity  is  enough  to 
awaken  from  their  sleep  the  evil  forces  resident 
in  things.  This  is  why  it  is  not  an  infrequent 
thing  to  deny  luck  to  those  who  may  well  be 
thankful  for  its  benefits. 

We  have  had  occasion  to  use  the  word  pros- 
perity ;  it  is  often  used  in  the  sense  of  luck,  but 
it  never  conveys  the  idea  of  unexpected  success. 

The  word  luck  has  a  number  of  synonyms. 
The  principal  ones  are :  chance,  prosperity,  for- 
tune. 


WHAT   IS   FORTUNE? 


11 


There  are  circumstances  in  which  their  em- 
ployment is  a  matter  of  indifference;  neverthe- 
less, they  do  not  always  carry  the  same  meaning, 
and  there  are  cases  in  which  one  can  not  be  sub- 
stituted for  another  without  altering  the  idea  in- 
tended to  be  conveyed. 

Chance  takes  its  name  from  a  game  played  with 
thimbles;  it  comes  from  cheance  (act  of  falling), 
a  term  that  designates  the  point  the  thimble 
strikes  in  its  descent. 

Chance  is  almost  synonymous  with  luck,  when 
employed  in  a  favorable  sense. 

One  will  say  indifferently:  "I  have  had  great 
luck,"  or  *' Chance  has  favored  me  very  much," 
if  his  intention  is  to  convey  that  he  has  par- 
ticipated in  some  prosperous  undertaking. 

Of  a  man  who  is  invariably  successful,  one 
says:  ** Chance  favors  him  unusually,"  or,  **His 
luck  is  on  an  unusual  scale." 

But  tho  one  may  say,  **His  chances  of  suc- 
cess are  bad,"  we  are  not  right  in  saying,  "He 
has  bad  luck." 

The  word  luck  is  only  applied  in  a  positive 
sense. 

One  may  say :  **He  has  had  the  luck  to  succeed 
in  this  affair,  altho  there  was  every  chance  that 
he  would  miscarry." 


n 


OPPORTUNITIES 


WHAT  IS   FORTUNE? 


13 


But  one  can  not,  of  course,  say:  "He  had  the 
chance  to  succeed  in  this  affair,  altho  there  was 
every  luck  that  he  would  miscarry." 
Chance  involves  an  alternative. 
It  can  be  favorable,  or  the  contrary. 
Luck  can  only  be  beneficent. 
Chance  and  luck  are  the  result  of  some  event 
that  must  have  been  brought  about  in  quite  dif- 
ferent, or  even  opposite,  ways. 

This  event  involved  two  chance  happenings, 
one  good,  the  other  bad,  and  the  exclusion  of  the 
latter  in  favor  of  the  former  constitutes  what 
we  call  good  fortune  or  luck. 

Perhaps  this  term  is  employed  a  little  more 
familiarly  than  the  term  chance,  but  in  the  favor- 
able sense  it  awakens  the  same  ideas. 

We  have  had  the  chance,  or  the  luck,  to  suc- 
ceed well. 

We  have  chanced  or  been  lucky  enough  to  meet 
some  friend. 

Employed  in  the  plural,  the  word  chance  can 
not  be  replaced  by  the  word  luck,  since  it  implies 
doubt  or  probability. 

If  we  say,  "the  chances  are  this  man  will  suc- 
ceed," we  mean  that  the  man  may,  indeed,  suc- 
ceed, but  also  he  may  fail ;  we  can  not,  of  course, 
say  "the  luck  is  this  man  will  succeed." 


But  we  may  say,  "he  has  the  luck  or  the  good 
fortune  to  succeed,"  because  the  phrase  contains 
no  uncertainty. 

Chance  in  the  plural  speaks  of  hope. 

Luck  or  fortune  speaks  only  of  realization. 

It  does  not  imply  fear;  that  is  why  it  always 
designates  a  past  or  present  state,  never  a  future 

state. 

The  representation,  luck,  gives  an  image  more 
precise,  more  rude,  of  the  manifestation  of  the 
hazard  that  turns  out  happily. 

The  idea  conveyed  by  chance  is  applied  to^ 
probabilities  and  calculations. 

We  say,  "I  do  not  know  whether  I  shall  suc- 
ceed, but  I  am  going  to  run  the  chance." 

This  is  equivalent  to  saying,  *' There  are  as 
many  reasons  in  favor  of  success  as  there  are 
against  it." 

If  realization  comes  to  give  the  preponderance 
to  the  influences  which  are  favorable,  then  we 
say,  naturally,  "I  have  had  the  luck  to  succeed." 

The  superstitious  apply  the  word  luck  to  the 
supervention  of  circumstances  brought  about 
without  regard  to  volition;  they  designedly  ex- 
clude ability  in  order  to  lay  the  whole  stress 
upon  chance. 

Prosperity,  on  the  contrary,  if  it  also  be  made 


14  OPPORTUNITIES 

to  include  success  produced  by  circumstances  as 
lucky  as  fortuitous,  presents  the  idea  of  happi- 
ness as  something  flowing  from  the  cleverness 

that  brought  it  about. 

If  it  be  remarked  of  some  one,  **  Prosperity 
attends  all  his  undertakings,"  one  is  not  given 
to  understand  that  his  efforts  have  gone  for 
nothing  in  the  achievement.  This  sort  of  appre- 
ciation  is  a  kind  of  crowning  of  assiduity,  sagac- 
ity, and  good  sense,  with  the  understanding, 
however,  that  these  virtues  have  been  powerfully 
aided  by  the  beneficent  course  of  events. 

The  word  prosperity,  Hke  the  word  luck,  is 
only  used  in  the  positive  sense. 

Tho  one  may  say,  *' By  evil  chance  I  have  en- 
countered  such  and  such  obstacles,"  one  can  not, 
of  course,  in  the  same  circumstances  speak  of 
** evil  prosperity." 

This  qualification  can  be  but  rarely  applied  to 
luck  {la  veine),  and,  if  ever,  in  another  sense. 

The  expression,  avoir  la  veine,  came  into  use 
in  the  last  century  during  the  time  of  the  gold 
fever  in  California,  when  there  took  place  a 
general  rush  toward  the  gold-fields.  It  is  used 
figuratively,  and  expresses  the  idea  of  luckiness 
in  having  found  the  vein. 
The  vein  (of  gold)  denotes  that  portion  of 


WHAT   IS   FORTUNE? 


15 


the  rock  which  differs  from  the  rest  in  its  com- 
position. The  word  filon  (thread)  is  also  used 
to  designate  a  portion  of  precious  metal  which 
like  a  sort  of  thread  traverses  the  rest  of  the 
worthless  matter.  These  threads  radiate  through 
the  rock  as  do  the  veins  in  the  human  body, 
hence  the  application. 

One  may  dig  for  days  in  a  vein  without  en- 
countering this  thread,  the  object  of  aU  the  toil; 
once  found  it  must  never  be  lost  sight  of,  but 
must  be  followed  up  in  all  its  meanderings.  In 
such  a  case  they  used  to  say,  ''We  have  struck  , 
the  vein," 

By  analogy,  therefore,  they  came  to  regard 
as  "lucky  chance"  what  reveals  itself  momen- 
tarily in  the  midst  of  more  or  less  painful  cir- 
cumstances. 

It  happened  at  times  that  a  miner  fell  upon  a 
vein  of  gold  which  as  suddenly  disappeared  from 
view,  never  to  be  found.  Thereupon  the  toiler 
exhausted  himself  in  futile  efforts.  He  had 
come  upon  a  bad  vein. 

We  see  from  this  instance  why  we  can  not  use 
the  formula,  **bad  prosperity,"  altho  we  may 
with  propriety  use  the  terms,  "a  bad  vein,'* 
"evil  chance,"  "evil  fortune." 

Fortune  is  always  taken  in  the  sense  of  dee- 


vii.a 


16  OPPORTUNITIES 

tiny,  and  we  look  upon  it  as  being  favorable  or 
the  opposite.  But  the  word  employed  without 
qualification  always  implies  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. To  affirm  wealth  we  say,  *  *  He  has  made  a 
fortune,"  or  ''He  has  struck  it  rich,''  or 
** Chance  has  favored  him." 

We  use  these  words  just  afi  we  use  the  word 
prosperity,  without  qualification,  in  the  sense 

of  success. 

A  book  that  has  the  distinction  known  as  style 
is  one  in  which  the  terminology  has  been  chosen 
with  cleverness. 

A  picture,  a  symphony,  which  is  marked  by 
happy  inspiration  is  an  achievement  which  must 
have  been  as  fortunate  in  its  conception  as  in 

its  execution. 

At  times  we  say:  *'By  happy  chance  I  arrived 
on  time."  Under  the  same  circumstances  we 
may  also  say,  ''Through  luck."  Nevertheless, 
there  is  a  shade  of  difference  in  the  expressions. 

To  arrive  on  time  by  a  happy  chance  signifies 
that,  in  spite  of  circumstances  which  might  have 
been  adverse,  we  have  reached  our  destination  at 
the  right  moment. 

To  arrive  on  time  through  luck  implies  itat 
chance  alone  brought  about  the  arrival  at  the  op- 
portune moment. 


WHAT   IS   FORTUNE?  H 

By  happy  chance  can  also  be  translated:  "By 
a  series  of  circumstances  which  are  as  happy  as 
they  are  uncertain." 

By  luck  means  by  a  series  of  circumstances  as 
happy  as  it  is  unexpected. 

The  same  difference  exists  between  ''happy  in- 
spiration" and  lucky  inspiration.  Happy  in- 
spiration evokes  the  idea  of  favorable  surround- 
ings in  which  imagination  delights  to  radiate  its 
influence  in  the  wished-for  direction. 

Lucky  inspiration  represents  a  more  fugitive 
state  of  mind;  it  also  suggests  perfection,  and  it , 
wiU  be  noticed  that  works  executed  under  its 
influence  approach  nearer  the  standard  of  per- 
fection. 

We  have  remarked  that  the  word  luck  can 
rarely  be  employed  in  an  evil  sense,  the  reason 
probably  being  that  the  reverse  vocabulary  is 
already  rich  enough.  If  the  word  ill  luck  rep- 
resents error  or  effort  ill  directed  or  false  m 
tendency,  the  word  reverse  denotes  with  clear- 
ness the  ruin  of  some  legitimate  hope  due  to  an 
unforeseen  event.  We  dub  as  failures  those  who 
are  visited  too  often  by  an  adverse  fate,  with 
whom  nothing  succeeds. 

In  the  same  sense  we  sometimes  give  them  the 
name  of  guignards  (the  unlucky),  a  word  coined 


18  OPPORTUNITIES 

from  guignon,  which  signifies  ** mischance." 
Guignon,  however,  signifies  a  more  constant  con- 
dition than  does  devevne,  which  means  **  re- 
verse. 


We  employ  the  word  deveine  in  speaking  of  an 
unexpected  reverse,  while  we  use  the  word  guig- 
non to  designate  a  series  of  circumstances  which 
seem,  so  to  speak,  to  be  brought  together  by  the 
will  of  some  maleficent  power. 

La  deveine  in  the  past  tense  is  applied  by 
preference  to  some  single  event,  as  thus:  *'He 
has  had  bad  luck"  (il  a  eu  de  la  deveine). 

When  it  indicates  continuity,  the  term  is  al- 
ways used  in  the  present  tense. 

To  be  en  deveine  (to  face  Reverses)  is  to  see 
the  failure  of  everything  that  seemed  to  have 
the  right  to  succeed,  and  to  know  that  it  all  hap- 
pened because  of  events  which  could  not  be  fore- 
seen or  provided  against.  To  be  en  deveine  is 
to  find  oneself  in  the  situation  of  a  man  who, 
eager  to  bathe  his  feet  in  the  cooling  surf,  sees 
the  waves  retreating  as  he  advances  and  always 
falling  short  of  his  reach. 

To  be  en  guigne  has  the  same  meaning. 

This  word  comes  from  guignon,  now  almost 

obsolete. 
Using  analogy,  the  mother- wit  of  the  Parisians 


WHAT   IS   FORTUNE? 


19 


has  made  of  this  expression  a  play  on  words  to 
indicate  deveine,  or  ill  luck,  using  the  name  of  a 
species  of  fruits  in  which  is  classed  the  guigne. 

In  those  circles  more  concerned  with  pic- 
turesque style  than  with  academic  expression, 
they  call  ill  luck  La  Cerise  (the  cherry),  for  the 
reason,  probably,  that  guigne  comes  from  the 
French  word  for  cherry.  Poets  have  referred 
to  it  as  *Hhe  goddess  with  hollow  eyes,"  while 
others  speak  of  it  as  a  woman  **of  green  visage." 
The  slang  of  the  streets,  with  the  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  fact  that  characterizes  the  formation  of 
this  language,  classes  it  under  the  name  La  coin 
lante  (the  sticker),  by  extension,  La  poisse  (the 
detective  bureau),  because   t  is  unrelenting. 

These  designations,  furthermore,  indicate  the 
general  trend  to  error  which  represents  evil  for- 
tune as  an  enraged  beast  intent  upon  its  prey, 
while  good  fortune  is  shown  as  a  being  lavish- 
ing her  smiles  upon  those  who  have  never 
troubled  themselves  to  conciliate  her  favor. 

Both  beliefs  are  alike  grounded  in  error. 

By  holding  them  we  neglect  to  cultivate  the 
qualities  of  strength  which  it  is  necessary  to  put 
in  action  in  order  to  conquer  adverse  circum- 
stances. 

He  who  believes  himself  marked  out  by  evil 


^  OPPORTUNITIES 

fortune,  and  who  takes  to  himself  the  epithets 
deveinard  or  guignard,  comes  very  near  to  the 
truth— if  not  as  regards  the  fanciful  disgrace 
which  he  thinks  attaints  him,  at  least  as  regards 
the  failure  of  his  undertakings. 
Good  fortune  is  rarely  the  result  of  pure 

chance.  ^ 

It  is  nearly  always  the  result  of  a  group  of 

circumstances    prepared    by     cleverness     and 

brought  about  by  perseverance. 

It  is  not  always  possible  to  realize  what  an 

amount  of  will-power,  prudence,  and  providence 

it  costs  people  to  have  earned  the  name  of 

luckv. 

Chance  is  not  the  sovereign  master  of  destiny. 

It  is  governed  by  forces  which  dominate  its  own, 
and  luck,  characteristic  as  it  is,  is  often  nothing 
but  the  result  of  slow  and  patient  preparation. 
It  is  the  obscure  cause  that  we  like  to  attribute 
to  a  fact  which,  nevertheless,  is  not  independent 
of  voluntary  cause.  It  is  a  handy  explanation 
for  an  event  for  which  we  do  not  like  to  take 
the  trouble  to  find  the  real  cause.  If  we  trace 
luck  back  to  its  source  we  will  frequently  per- 
ceive that  it  is  nothing  more  than  the  conclusion 
of  a  series  of  circumstances  which  the  will — 
consciously  or  not — ^has  determined. 


r 


WHAT   IS   FORTUNE? 


91 


To  the  classification  given  at  the  beginning  of 
this  chapter  we  may  add  the  following  commen- 

tary: 

If  what  we  name  luck  excludes  all  idea  of  in- 
tention it  can  be  but  the  product  of  chance  and 
is  to  be  regarded  as  a  varying  and  fluctuating 
thing,  like  chance  itself. 

There  can,  therefore,  be  no  question  of  any 
one  being  marked  out  perpetually  by  evil  chance. 
There  is  no  reason  for  regarding  the  devei- 
nards  or  guignards  as  being  thus  marked  out. 

To  maintain  the  contrary  would  be  to  pre- 
tend, as  was  done  in  antiquity,  that  man  is  sub- 
ject to  immovable  fate.  Such  a  view  was  con- 
demned  even  by  the  men  of  the  past,  and  would 
in  our  day  be  fatal  for  all  generous  initiative 
and  all  desire  for  betterment. 

The  world  belongs  to  those  who  can  conquer 
it,  and  who  do  not  admit  the  existence  of  a  ca- 
pricious divinity,  known  as  Chance,  which  is 
worth  propitiating,  while  witholding  from  it  ab- 
solute allegiance. 


I 


CHAPTER  II 

WATCH  YOUR  OPPORTUNITY  AND 
FORTUNE  WILL  FAVOR  YOU 

There  is  a  maxim  that  it  would  be  well  to 
earve  in  letters  of  gold  in  all  places  of  public 
instruction : 

**In  proportion  as  the  aid  we  receive  from 
opportunity  is  uncertain  and  precarious  that 
which  we  obtain  by  our  own  efforts  is  efficacious 
and  lasting.*' 

Appealing  to  fortune  is  too  often  the  resort  of 
the  idle  and  the  feeble,  of  those  who  want  ac- 
complished by  chance  the  thing  that  they  lack 
the  courage  to  do  themselves. 

Circumstances,  if  carefully  considered,  are 
much  less  the  product  of  chance  or  blind  luck 
than  the  result  of  a  series  of  incidents  due  to 
individual  acts,  and  joined  to  the  will-power 
necessary  to  bring  them  about.  Those  who  are 
honest  in  their  observation  of  things  will  nearly 
always  perceive  that  the  element  they  regard  as 
luck  in  the  affairs  of  the  prosperous  is  mostly 

22 


( 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    23 

the  consequence  of  long  preparation.  They  will 
perceive  that  it  is  eagerness  to  take  advantage 
of  the  lucky  chance  as  soon  as  it  presents  itself, 
by  taking  measures  all  converging  to  the  central 
idea,  which  has  produced  surrounding  condi- 
tions favorable  to  seizing  the  impending  Oppor- 
tunity. 

No  matter  how  favorable  Opportunity  may 
seem,  it  will  never  abide  with  us  if  we  are  con- 
tent to  leave  it  to  its  own  devices. 

Opportunity  is  a  visitor  who  rarely  calls  on 
those  who  neglect  to  provide  a  suitable  welcome. 

It  resembles  the  traveler  in  the  old  German 
tale: 

**One  stormy  day  a  rich  man  entered  the 
wretched  cabin  of  some  poor  peasants  for  shelter. 
The  peasants  were  dazzled  by  the  costly  jewelry 
and  sumptuous  armor  of  their  guest,  and  were 
fain  to  rejoice  at  the  honor  shown  them.  The 
traveler,  however,  brought  along  with  his  other 
luggage  a  goodly  store  of  fine  provisions  which 
he  allowed  them  to  feast  upon.  So  great  was 
their  enjoyment  of  these  that  they  forgot  all 
about  the  duties  of  hospitality.  Their  delight  in 
the  good  things,  aided  by  their  natural  indolence, 
caused  them  to  neglect  the  making  of  a  fire,  and 
the  guest  was  left  to  shiver  in  his  wet  clothes. 


M 


OPPORTUNITIES 


"Noticing  aU  this,  the  traveler  hurriedly  gath- 
ered his  things  together  and  in  spite  of  the 
deluge  of  rain  departed    forthwith,   never   to 

return. 

**Now,  the  peasants  had  neighbors  who  proved 
to  be  more  intelligent  than  they. 

"Perceiving  the  stranger  who  was  now  ap- 
proaching them,  they  hastened  to  throw  vine- 
branches  upon  the  hearth  and  invited  him  with 
smiles  to  come  in  and  make  himself  at  home 
among  them. 

"They  prest  around  him  and  would  not  con- 
sent to  partake  of  the  provisions  that  he  had 
brought  until  they  had  first  made  sure  that  he 
was  comfortably  installed. 

"Revived  by  the  pleasing  warmth  and  touched 
to  the  heart  by  the  fineness  shown  in  the  wel- 
come, the  traveler  tasted  the  sweetness  that 
comes  of  kind  hearts  and  home  surroundings. 

"He  did  not  leave  on  the  morrow  as  he  had 
intended  to  do,  but  prolonged  his  stay,  and  did 
not  depart  until  he  had  by  largess  and  solemn 
promises  assured  the  future  of  his  amiable 

hosts." 

If  we  go  into  the  philosophy  of  this  tale  we 
mstantly  perceive  that  the  peasants  first  men- 
tioned were  the  more  favored,  since  it  was  at 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    26 

their  door  that  Opportunity  in  the  form  of  the 
traveler  first  knocked. 

Opportunity  is  like  this  traveler. 

It  does  not  permit  us  to  profit  by  its  gifts 
unless  we  try  to  deserve  them. 

It  instantly  deserts  those  who  are  content  to 
enjoy  its  benefits  without  making  an  effort  to 
augment  them  by  activity  and  intelligence. 
Furthermore,  it  should  be  remarked  that  if  these 
qualities  be  treated  with  disdain  they  are  in  a 
fair  way  to  desert  their  possessor  for  one  more 
advised  and  energetic. 

People  who  are  spoken  of  as  "having  suc- 
ceeded" are  invariably  those  who  have  relied 
upon  themselves  and  never  based  their  hopes 
upon  any  merely  lucky  event. 

Those  who  rely  first  of  all  upon  themselves, 
without  counting  upon  the  intervention  of 
chance,  are  vastly  more  certain  of  experiencing 
its  effects  than  are  the  indolent,  whose  cerebral 
effort  is  limited  to  the  desiring  of  some  fortui- 
tous circumstance. 

To  enjoy  success  without  having  to  occupy 
oneself  with  the  cares  essential  to  its  realiza- 
tion—this is  the  ardent  desire  of  the  incapable 
and  of  those  lacking  in  strength  of  mind. 

We  can  not  repeat  this  often  enough :  What  we 


^ 


26 


OPPORTUNITIES 


call  luck  or  chance  is  above  all  a  coadjutor,  whose 
aid  the  clever  try  to  invoke  even  at  the  cost 
of  intelligent  sacrifices.  It  is  rarely  productive 
by  itself,  and  the  achievements  which  are  due  to 
its  sole  potency  are  never  lasting.  It  is  a  caprici- 
ous thing  that  must  first  be  lured  and  then  kept 
by  every  possible  means,  even  by  force.  To  pre- 
vent it  from  taking  flight  far-seeing  resolves  and 
individual  strength  are  more  potent  than  any 
kind  of  sortilege,  the  vagaries  of  which  are  de- 
spised by  sane  and  well-regulated  minds. 

There  is  a  well-known  proverb,  at  once  naive 
and  striking,  which  illustrates  the  necessity  of 
participating  by  one's  own  efforts  in  bringing 
about  fortunate  circumstances  and  in  giving 
them  permanence. 

**What  comes  at  the  sound  of  the  flute  departs 
at  the  sound  of  the  drum." 

Which  is  the  same  as  saying  that  prosperity 
which  comes  unexpectedly,  or  luck  that  arrives 
at  our  door  without  our  doing  anything  to  sum- 
mon it  does  not  stay  very  long.  Some  caprice 
brought  it,  some  fancy  made  away  with  it.  The 
tones  of  a  flute  summon  it;  it  is  then  tempted 
by  the  sound  of  a  drum  and  directly  flies  toward 
the  new  attraction,  which  in  turn  begins  to  pall. 

It  has  been  remarked,  in  fact,  that  suddenly 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    rt 

acquired  fortunes  that  bear  no  relation  to  merit 
or  industry  crumble  away  of  themselves. 

The  reason  is  plain.  He  who  does  not  know 
the  value  of  effort  can  not  attach  the  same  value 
to  success  as  can  he  who  has  devoted  to  it  a  por- 
tion of  his  life. 

Difficulty  of  seeking  and  postponement  lend 
all  the  more  value  to  realization. 

We  look  with  disdain  upon  the  triumphs  that 
seem  too  easy  and  seek  out  those  that  seem  be- 
yond our  reach. 

Is  it  worth  while  for  us  to  cite  here  the  old 
example  of  supply  and  demand? 

There  are  things  which  are  beautiful  and 
desirable  in  themselves  whose  value  as  mer- 
chandise is  nil  because  they  exist  in  too  great 
quantity,  and  the  certainty  of  getting  them 
whenever  we  want  them  does  away  with  all 
bother  about  procuring  them  in  advance. 

People  who  have  come  into  possession  of 
wealth  through  circumstances  entirely  independ- 
ent of  themselves  rarely  know  how  to  take  care 
of  it,  still  less  to  make  it  fruitful. 

They  yield  to  the  intoxication  that  comes  of 
easy  possession  and  make  no  effort  to  profit  by 
their  good  fortune,  which,  in  their  view,  is  a 
tribute  to  their  own  merit. 


\y 


28 


OPPORTUNITIES 


It  is  not  the  same  with  those  who  have  made 
their  fortune  in  the  various  ways  that  human 
industry  has  put  at  the  disposal  of  active 
natures.  They  have  a  keen  remembrance  of  the 
privations  incident  to  the  first  savings ;  for  them 
every  coin  is  an  eloquent  reminder. 

The  first  hundred-dollar-bill  which  they  were 
able  to  set  aside  from  what  is  needed  for  house- 
hold maintenance  means  an  epoch  in  their  exist- 
ence ;  and  they  recall,  not  without  feeling,  the  day 
when  they  were  able  to  think  of  the  possibility  of 
old  age  free  from  material  cares  and  consecrated 
to  noble  projects,  which,  like  a  nimbus,  will  sur- 
round their  final  years  with  honor  and  serenity. 

They  are  careful  never  to  make  any  ill  use  of 
their  good  fortune.  The  remembrance  of  all 
the  efforts  that  it  cost  to  make  it  serve  them 
confirms  them  in  the  resolution  to  make  the  most 
of  its  gifts  and  to  conserve  its  favor.  Remem- 
brance of  hopes,  inconveniences,  struggles, 
nerves  them  to  provide  against  their  repetition 
and,  if  it  be  impossible  to  forestall  ill  luck,  its 
evil  effects  can  be  neutralized  in  some  sort  by 
the  adoption  of  adequate  measures. 

Opportunity,  however  great,  has  no  real 
efficacy  unless  it  is  buttressed  by  activity — 
which  is  its  main  support. 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    29 

It  does  not  like  to  be  treated  as  a  dupe,  and 
it  is  chary  of  its  favors  save  to  those  who  know 
how  to  second  them  by  genuine  collaboration. 
It  has  a  horror  of  the  clumsy  and  the  indolent, 
and  quickly  turns  away  from  the  light-minded 
who  never  second  its  efforts  in  their  behalf. 

The  diversity  of  form  which  it  assumes  is  at 
times  deceiving,  and  under  certain  aspects  it 
can  only  be  recognized  by  the  intelligent. 

The  superficial  do  not  always  perceive  the  role 
which  it  is  possible  for  them  to  play  in  the 
course  of  events,  and  they  remain  indifferent 
spectators  of  those  things  which,  could  they 
avail  themselves  of  them,  might  become  for  them 
the  agents  of  prosperity. 

Numberless  are  the  dreamers  who  are  seeking 
to  store  up  the  sun  and  who  imagine  that  they 
have  made  a  conquest  of  its  rays  when  they  have 
imprisoned  them  in  the  vase  which  they  illumine. 

Alas !  winter  has  arrived,  and  they  sit  shiver- 
ing before  the  empty  hearth;  the  beneficent 
rays  they  thought  so  safely  stored  have  van- 
ished. 

Those,  on  the  other  hand,  whose  minds  are 
of  a  subtler  fiber,  and  who  do  not  recoil  from 
active  collaboration,  go  much  deeper  into  the 
subject.     They  have  knowledge  of  the  caloric 


30  OPPORTUNITIES 

strength  of  the  sun  rays,  and  bring  to  this  po- 
tency the  addition  of  their  own  industry,  in 
order  to  put  them  to  the  best  advantage. 

Some  plant  trees  which,  vivified  by  the  sun, 
become,  as  it  were,  the  incarnation  of  its  jo- 
cund fires,  under  whose  protecting  influence  the 
assembled  family  taste  the  joys  of  physical  well- 
being  and  the  blessings  of  love  and  home. 

Others  attract  the  clear,  warm  rays  into  green- 
houses where  rare  flowers,  under  the  action  of 
the  sun,  aided  by  human  toil,  are  seen  in  fuU- 
blown  beauty,  and  become  for  their  owners  a 
source  of  sweetness  and  a  means  of  subsistence. 
In  this  the  learned  find  a  great  source  of 
pleasure  and  instruction  for  all. 

Opportunity,  without  cooperation,  may  he  re- 
garded as  a  transient  and  isolated  circumstance, 
produced  without  reason  and  without  rnotiye 
for  renewal.  There  are  cases,  even,  when  its  in- 
tervention may  be  considered  unfortunate. 

If  it  show  itself  at  the  opening  of  a  career,  if 
some  circumstance  which  can  not  possibly  be 
foreseen  open  wide  the  portals  of  success  with- 
out any  one  having  to  provide  the  necessary 
machinery,  there  are  strong  reasons  for  believ- 
ing there  will  result  an  evil  influence  upon  the 
future  of  the  supposed  beneficiary. 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    31 

The  one  who  enters  without  firing  a  shot  the 
place  which  others  have  besieged  for  long 
months  will  always  ignore  the  difficulties  rising 
in  his  path  and,  dizzy  with  his  initial  success, 
wiU  rear  up  before  the  first  obstacle  that  pre- 
sents itself. 

Knowing  nothing  of  the  difficulties  that  beset 
dU  beginnings,  he  will  be  the  less  likely  to  per- 
severe, and  the  goal  which  he  will  try  to  reach 
will  be  a  wholly  different  one  from  that  to 
which  he  should  try  to  attain. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  who  has  striven  against 
the  uncertainties  and  complexities  that  harass 
nearly  all  beginnings  will  look  upon  each  step 
forward  as  a  victory  gained,  will  regard  each 
realized  project  as  something  to  be  capitalized 
in  view  of  the  supreme  achievement. 

There  are  persons  who  have  been  known  ac- 
tually to  thank  their  ill  luck  upon  occasion ;  and, 
wholly  paradoxical  as  this  seems,  it  is  not  diffi-( 
cult  to  comprehend  their  position.    The  thing, 
indeed,  is  worth  analyzing. 

Upon  certain  apathetic  natures  what  is  caUed 
ill  luck  may  have  valuable  results. 

Necessity  for  reaction,  obligation  to  tear  one- 
self from  the  delights  of  far  niente  by  creating 
the  need  of  activity,  vivifies  individual  energy, 

VI  1.3 


am 


OPPORTUNITIES 


which  but  too  frequently  lies  dormant  in  the 
time  of  prosperity. 

Now  not  to  go  forward  means  to  lose  ground. 

He  who  settles  down  in  complete  satisfaction 
with  the  lot  which  fortune  has  assigned  him, 
and  who  puts  forth  no  effort  to  cooperate  with 
this  invaluable  adjunct,  need  not  count  upon 
the  constant  intervention  of  fortune. 

One  evening,  as  Tagliani  was  leaving  the 
stage  wholly  overcome  at  the  triumph  of  her  re- 
ception, an  obscure  little  danseuse  addrest  these 
words  to  her: 

**Ah!  how  fortunate  you  are." 

*'True,''  said  the  star,  **but  I  make  the  most 
of  my  good  fortune." 

**Ah!"  cried  her  little  actress-friend,  much 
interested,  **you  have  some  special  means,  some 
talisman,  perhaps?" 

*'I  have,  indeed,"  said  Tagliani,  smiling. 

*'How  I  should  love  to  know  what  it  is!" 

**Come  around  to-morrow  and  I  will  show  it 

to  you." 

And  the  next  day  the  little  danseuse  visited 
Tagliani.  The  great  actress  had  just  finished 
two  hours  of  work,  and  was  so  completely  worn 
out  that  her  visitor  saw  her  sinking  into  the 
arms  of  her  father,  who  was  giving  her  her  les- 


1 


WATCH   YOUR   OPPORTUNITY    S3 

son.  He  was  la3dng  her  upon  a  sofa  and  trying 
to  revive  her  with  a  cordial. 

Opening  her  eyes  Tagliani  met  those  of  her 
comrade. 

"You  see  now,"  she  said.  "Behold  my 
talisman.    It  is  Work ! ' ' 

And  she  added:  "You  have  all  the  means  of 
acquiring  this  talisman;  but  very  few  of  you 
have  the  strength  to  put  it  into  practise." 

Anecdotal  history  does  not  tell  us  whether 
the  lesson  proved  profitable,  but  it  is  likely  that 
it  had  as  much  effect  upon  her  who  received  it 
as  such  lessons  generally  have. 

The  usual  attitude  of  those  who  feel  them- 
selves incapable  of  the  effort  which  the  success- 
ful make  is  found  in  such  remarks  as:  "Oh,  I 
could  never  do  anything  like  that!"  And  they 
set  themselves  in  quest  of  luck  without  perceiv- 
ing that  they  are  acting  exactly  as  if  they  were 
trying  to  repel  it. 

Desire  for  Opportunity  can  be  a  stimulant, 
but  unaided  aspiration  can  not  be  of  value. 

Fortune  only  comes  to  those  who  regard  it  as 
an  adjunct,  and  not  as  the  preponderant  ele- 
ment of  affairs. 

No  one  can  say  with  honesty:  "I  have  had 
hard  luck  all  my  life." 


t 


■9v 


OPPORTUNITIES 


If  such  a  one  were  sincere  lie  would  perceive 
that  in  not  a  few  circumstances  he  could  have 
brought  about  a  change  in  things,  had  he  but 
the  courage  to  take  hold  of  them  in  the  right 

way. 

In  nearly  all  circumstances  of  life  there  is  a 
good  and  a  bad  side,  and  the  question  always  is 
how  to  distinguish  so  as  not  to  take  the  wrong 
course  and  give  preference  to  the  evil  over  the 

good. 

In  the  choice,  moreover,  reflection  and  wis- 
dom must  be  brought  to  bear.  Moral  considera- 
tions must  also  be  permitted  to  interweave  in  the 
decision,  with  a  view  to  guarding  against  pos- 
sible evil  consequences. 

It  will  be  seen  from  all  this  that  fortune  plays 
a  less  considerable  part  in  life  than  most  per- 
sons are  tempted  to  believe,  and  that  it  is  within 
the  reach  of  all  to  conquer  ill  chance  by  strong 
resistance  and  thus  experience  the  truth  of  the 
title  of  this  chapter. 

Foster  Opportunity  and  Fortune  will  favor 

you. 


CHAPTER  III 


LUCK    AND    FETISHISM 

All  believers  in  the  potency  of  luck  are  more 
or  less  given  to  fetishism. 

They  all  believe  in  the  influence  of  some  in- 
definite power  which  takes  up  its  residence  in 
objects  the  most  diverse. 

For  some  the  fetish  bears  a  tangible  aspect: 
it  may  be  some  charm  suggestive  of  the  con- 
juror's art. 

Such  are  the  coral  horns  which  are  so  prized 
in  Italy,  and  supposed  to  represent  those  of  the 
prince  of  darkness. 

That  personage  holds  this  cult  in  considera- 
tion, and  has  a  special  care  over  those  who  wear 

his  emblem. 

Certain  of  these  coral  ornaments  have  the 
form  of  a  closed  hand,  the  index  and  little  fin- 
ger being  extended. 

The  bearers  of  these  fetishes,  upon  meeting 
any  object  which  would  bring  them  bad  luck, 
do  not  omit  to  hold  out  before  the  person  or 
thing    thiw    incriminated    their    jewel-fetish^ 

35 


36 


OPPORTUNITIES 


which,  by  pointing  its  horns  at  the  evil-bearer 
never  fails  to  put  it  to  flight. 

In  child-speech  the  principle  is  the  same,  for 
the  gesture  is  termed  *' making  horns." 

Animals  also  enjoy  this  privilege,  according 
to  certain  superstitious  persons. 

There  are  serious  men  who  will  not  enter  upon 
a  business  undertaking  unless  they  meet  a 
white  horse  before  the  door  of  the  building  in 
which  the  transaction  is  to  be  concluded. 

If  a  piebald  horse  chances  to  pass  they  are 
ready  to  accept  all  the  conditions  which,  barring 
this  incident,  they  would  sternly  have  rejected. 

We  see  people  give  themselves  serious  trouble 
in  order  to  become  possest  of  a  black  cat,  the 
pretension  being  that  this  animal  brings  luck. 

If  in  despite  their  affairs  miscarry  they  will 
declare  gravely  that  the  cat  was  not  entirely 
black,  but  had  a  few  silver  threads  in  his  som- 
ber coat. 

The  cult  of  frogs  is  quite  popular  in  certain 
countries.  They  are  worn  for  adornment;  to 
murder  a  frog  involves  the  idea  of  imminent 
misfortune. 

Words,  also,  in  the  view  of  fetishists,  have  the 
power  of  evoking  bad  luck.  Where  is  the  cav- 
alryman who  would  let  fall  a  **Good  luck!*'  on 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


S7 


departing  without  showing  slight  signs  of  vexa- 
tion? 

It  is  not  in  Italy  alone  that  the  "evil  eye"  is 
dreaded. 

Many  who  seem  otherwise  well-balanced  are 
disturbed  by  the  presence  of  any  one  to  whom 
they  attribute  malign  influence. 

They  will  say:  **I  don't  want  to  go  to  this 
reception  because  I  shall  meet  some  one  there 
who  will  bring  me  bad  luck." 

And  if,  despite  their  resolution,  they  find 
themselves  forced  to  go  to  the  affair,  they  never 
fail  to  hold  some  ''unlucky"  person  responsible 
for  all  the  mishaps  of  the  evening. 

There  are  people  who,  without  any  fault  of 
their  own,  find  themselves  objects  of  general 
reprobation  because  fetishists  have  given  them 
the  reputation  of  bringing  *'bad  luck." 

These  observations  have  a  bearing  on  certain 
facts  or  remarks.  For  many  the  simple  phrase, 
*  *  I  am  happy, ' '  is  fraught  with  evil  consequences. 

Others  there  are  who  will  never  admit  that 
they  are  in  perfect  health. 

By  declaring  themselves  satisfied  with  their 
lot  they  fear  that  they  may  rouse  the  evil  powers 
which  are  ever  watching  us  with  envious  eyes. 

Most  of  these  superstitions  rest  on  coinci- 


f 


38 


OPPORTUNITIES 


dences,  and  these  are  carefully  noted  by  minds 
tainted  with  this  weakness. 

Because  two  events  take  place  at  the  same 
time,  or  nearly  so,  they  conclude  that  these  cir- 
cumstances have  a  reciprocal  and  mysterious  in- 
fluence upon  each  other,  and  they  accept  this 
conclusion  without  trying  to  understand  it. 

With  minds  denuded  of  individual  will-power, 
this  mystery  produces  a  burst  of  faith  which 
makes  the  adepts  think  that  unknown  forces 
resident  in  things  can  be  favorable  if  their  aid 
be  invoked. 

Now,  the  only  means  of  showing  these  powers 
proper  respect  lies  in  according  them  some  real 
importance.  And  observers  have  long  since  re- 
marked that  the  power  of  the  fetish  is  in  direct 
ratio  with  the  devotion  it  inspires. 

This  apparently  disconcerting  fact  is  easily 
explained  by  the  confidence  which  faith  im- 
parts. 

Numerous  examples  may  be  cited  of  persons 
exposed  to  constant  dangers  which  they  usually 
brave  successfully,  who  lose  their  heads  in  the 
face  of  peril  if  they  discover  they  have  lost 
some  fetish  which  served  them  as  a  charm. 

If  they  have  but  the  certainty  that  the  object 
of  their  trust  is  in  their  possession  they  will 


\ 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


39 


fearlessly  accomplish  the  most  dangerous  feats. 

This  will  appear  a  little  disconcerting  to  one 
who  does  not  take  into  consideration  the  role 
which  imagination  plays  with  those  destitute  of 
moral  strength. 

The  impression  they  feel  may  be  analyzed 
thus:  .-- 

Debility  of  mind. 

Doubt  in  oneself. 

Want  of  support. 

Superstition. 

Faith. 

Influence  exerted  by  Faith. 

The  characteristic  of  debility  of  mind  is  that 
it  prevents  people  from  believing  in  their  own 
worth. 

They  do  not  appreciate,  or  rather  they  de- 
preciate the  immutable  forces  which  are  latent 
in  every  one,  and  the  feeling  they  have  of  their 
helplessness  forces  upon  them  the  idea  of  pro- 
tection. 

At  the  moment  of  accomplishing  an  act,  mis- 
trust, the  enemy  of  all  initiative,  suggests  doubt 
as  regards  the  happy  issue  of  their  undertaking. 
The  need  for  support  growing  in  them,  they 
buttress  their  hopes  with  everything  that  seems 
to  promise  aid,  no  matter  how  mysterious. 


It 


f 


40 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Here  we  have  tlie  awakening  of  superstition. 
Once  pricked  on  this  side,  imagination  lends  to 
every  incident  of  life  an  importance  which  ia 
redoubled  by  the  repetition  of  dependent  facts. 
It  is  sufficient  in  this  state  of  mmd  if  one  hap- 
pens  to  have  on  his  person  some  unusual  ob- 
ject. Straightway  he  will  find  some  relation  be- 
tween the  trinket  and  the  events  which  were  co- 
incident with  his  wearing  it. 

People  will  say:  **This  incident  happened  the 
last  day  I  wore  this  ring,  and  it  has  just  occurred 
again  to-day ;  now,  I  had  not  worn  it  between 
times."  At  first  the  idea  of  coincidence  pre- 
vails, but  the  need  for  outward  support  which 
rules  all  feeble  natures  inclines  in  the  direction 
of  superstition. 

Such  a  person  will  insist  on  wearing  the  ring 
next  day  in  the  hope  that  it  will  bring  about 
some  happy  event.  If  such  a  thing  actually 
happens— and  imagination  never  fails  to  sug- 
gest something,  however  unimportant,  the  talis- 
man is  approved  in  form,  and  superstition 
blends  into  faith  whose  sincerity  is  in  propor- 
tion to  its  absurdity. 

Now,  throughout  the  ages  it  has  been  estab- 
lished that  of  all  moral  forces  Faith  is  the  most 
powerful.   It  is  so,  above  all,  with  feeble  natures, 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


41 


who  hesitate  to  accept  responsibilities  and  are 
prone  to  transfer  them  to  inanimate  objects. 

"When  Mahomet's  legions  seemed  ready  to 
yield  ground  he  made  them  achieve  prodigies  of 
valor  by  assuring  them  that  legions  of  angels  i 
were  fighting  with  them. 

For  him  who  feels  himself  the  victim  of  moral 
cowardice  the  fetish  is  the  mysterious  helper 
which  restores  courage  and  gives  strength  to 
continue  a  fight  in  which  the  combatant  feels 
that  he  is  no  longer  alone. 

Those  whose  intellectual  education  is  incom- 
plete, or  those,  more  numerous  still,  for  whom 
moral  weakness  interdicts  reflection  are  always 
powerless  to  determine  the  relation  of  cause  and 
effect. 

To  trace  an  incident  to  its  source  seems  to 
them  too  painful  a  task;  they  find  it  much 
easier  to  see  in  things  the  results  of  apparent 
concordances  which,  for  the  most  part,  have  no 
standing  in  fact. 

One  must  also  take  into  account  the  need  for 
the  marvelous  which  lies  deep  in  the  heart  of 
man. 

Infantile  education  has  not  remained  indif- 
ferent to  this  tendency.  The  tales  of  the  nur- 
sery familiarize  children  with  fantastic  visions, 


i 


*!' 


^1' 


42  OPPORTUNITIES 

in  which  they  are  shown  good  fairies  with 
magic  wands  and  genii  armed  with  talismans, 
who  are  wont  to  appear  unexpectedly  at  the 
most  critical  moments  of  life. 

Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  if  the  impressions 
made  upon  the  childish  minds  are  not  entirely 
effaced  when  the  adult  stage  is  reached  ?  Or  is 
it  astonishing  that  as  men  they  should  still  have 
a  yearning  for  the  occult  things  and  talismans 
that  had  so  large  a  share  in  their  childish  faith  ? 
It  sometimes  happens  that  objects  regarded 
as  fetishes  may  become  so,  thanks  to  the  slight 
strength  of  will  of  those  who  venerate  them. 

In  addition  to  fetishes  of  beneficent  character 
there  remain  to  be  considered  what  the  super- 
stitious regard  as  evil  talismans. 

Numberless  are  the  objects  which  in  the  com- 
mon view  bring  misfortune. 

Those  who  assure  us  of  this  base  their  assump- 
tions on  facts  which  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  are 
not  experts  may  pass  for  undoubted  demonstra- 
tions. 

Only  a  careful  observer  can  discern  the  truth 

under  the  tinsel  of  superstition  that  tricks  it  out. 

From  the  thousand  examples  which  may  be 

cited  we  will  take  one. 

A  woman  one  day  bought  a  mildewed  chafing- 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


4S 


dish  at  a  public  sale.  Arrived  home,  she  lost  no 
time  in  cleaning  off  its  yellow  coating  and, 
proud  of  her  work,  she  showed  her  prize  to  her 

neighbors. 

One  of  them  held  up  the  little  utensil  to 
examine  it  more  closely  and,  finding  a  lizard  in 
the  casting,  declared  she  recognized  the  object. 
It  belonged,  she  averred,  to  one  of  her  lodgers 
who  had  used  it  under  tragic  circumstances. 
The  owner  had  lighted  it  near  his  bedside  and 
died  that  night.    And  the  gossip  added: 

**If  I  were  in  your  place  I  would  not  keep 
it,  it  will  bring  you  bad  luck,"  The  new  owner 
of  the  chafing-dish,  vexed  at  the  non-approval 
of  her  proud  purchase,  merely  shrugged  her 
shoulders  and  received  the  advice  with  contempt. 

Meanwhile  the  warning  had  roused  uneasiness 
in  her.  Her  disquiet  was  increased  by  an  in- 
cident of  a  very  common  kind. 

Slightly  uneasy  in  mind,  she  had  gone  down- 
stairs to  make  preparations  for  the  evening, 
without  troubling  to  find  a  place  for  the  chafing- 
dish,  which  she  left  on  the  floor. 

When  she  returned  it  was  nightfall,  and  the 
room  being  dark  she  could  not  perceive  the  ob- 
stacle in  her  path  and,  tripping  upon  it,  fell 
headlong,  striking  her  head  against  the  edge  of 


OPPORTUNITIES 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


45 


I 


a  table.  They  ran  in  at  her  cry,  and  sta^- 
faction  reigned  among  the  neighbors  when  ^e 
cause  of  the  accident  became  known  The  blow 
received  was  a  severe  one  and  resulted  m  serious 
headache.  The  woman  thought  to  get  relief  in 
rest  but  she  found  it  impossible  to  sleep. 

The  talking  made  her  head  buzz,  the  predicted 
evil  augury  followed  so  quickly  by  the  reaUty 
haunted  her  tortured  brain.  Fever  made  its  ap- 
i^ance  and  became  so  violent  that  toward 
morning  the  patient,  becoming  hysterical,  in- 
sisted there  was  but  one  means  of  escaping  the 
evil  power  that  was  afflicting  her. 

She  rose  from  the  bed  and  lighted  the  chafing- 

men  the  sun  rose  the  neighbor  who  called 
to  inquire  how  she  was,  found  her  dead  from 

^^^*?toew  weU  enough  this  chafing-dish  would 
bring  her  misfortune,"  cried  the  woman. 

We  have  chosen  this  example  because  it  cer- 
tainly  is  an  impressive  one.  .    . ,    ^  _^ 

Nevertheless,  if  we  examme  the  incident  we 
shall  find  that  what  is  called  bad  luck  is  wholly 
absent  from  aU  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 
The  whole  series  of  events  is  perfectly  logical. 

If  the  woman's  mind  had  been  strong  enough 


to  react  against  the  anxiety  caused  by  appre- 
hended evil  she  would  not  have  neglected  to 
take  the  ordinary  precaution  to  keep  the  path 
clear  and  the  accident  and  its  fatal  consequences 
could  not  have  occurred. 

Without  the  fall  caused  by  her  negligence 
there  would  have  been  no  pain  in  the  head,  no 
fever,  and  no  temporary  derangement  of  reason ; 
the  definitive  act  would  not  have  taken  place. 

If  the  owner  of  the  chafing-dish  had  been  con- 
tent to  smile  at  her  neighbor's  superstition  and 
taken  proper  care  of  her  acquisition  nothing 
would  have  happened. 

Even  admitting  that  the  fall  had  taken  place 
under  the  same  conditions,  a  person  of  strong 
character  would  simply  be  imprest  with  the  fact 
that  it  was  an  accident. 

Instead  of  imputing  a  supernatural  cause  to 
such  a  common  occurrence  the  injured  woman 
should  have  blamed  it  all  upon  her  own  stu- 
pidity. 

But  in  no  instance  will  any  one  ever  admit 
his  own  insufficiency. 

It  is  much  easier  to  shift  the  fault  over  upon 
some  mysterious  power  whose  intervention  seems 
as  an  excuse  for  indolence  and  incapacity. 

"I'm  in  hard  luck,"  is  the  cry  of  the  in- 


I 


46  OPPORTUNITIES 

dolent,  who  do  nothing  to  get  into  the  good 
graces  of  Fortune. 

And  little  by  little,  hatred  of  all  effort  helping, 
they  come  to  regard  themselves  as  the  victims 
of  some  occult  evil  which  they  try  to  combat  by 
means  not  less  mysterious. 

To  ill  luck  they  oppose  the  fetish,  without 
having  any  misgiving  that  this  relic  of  idolatry 
is  the  most  certain  cause  of  their  misfortune, 
and  confident  in  the  potency  of  their  amulet 
they  set  themselves  to  remforce  it  to  the  best 
of  their  ability. 

There  are,  again,  persons  of  very  sedate  nature 
who  allow  themselves  to  be  tainted  by  belief  in 

fetishism. 
With  them,  however,  this  belief  takes  on  the 

aspect  of  reason. 

The  fetish  appears  to  them  not  only  as  a 
shield  against  evil  chance  but  as  a  safeguard 
against  doubt. 

Reflection,  confused  by  the  strong  need  for 
protection  which  they  feel,  makes  them  con- 
tract for  some  assurance   against    their    own 

weakness. 

In  their  fetishism  there  exists  a  large  por- 
tion of  common  sense. 

The  conception  of  double  personality  inter- 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


47 


venes  to  support  the  decadent  **ego"  with  the 
energetic  **ego,"  to  the  advantage  of  the 
former. 

A  well-known  orator  of  great  influence  in  the 
politics  of  Europe  never  made  an  important 
speech  without  wearing  a  certain  waistcoat 
which  he  reserved  for  contingencies  of  particu- 
larly delicate  nature. 

To  some  friends  who  rallied  him  upon  this 
mania,  unworthy  of  a  great  mind,  he  made  the 
following  confession : 

**This  fetishism  is  less  unreasonable  than  you 
would  be  led  to  believe. 

*'By  this  act  of  superstition  I  render  satis- 
faction to  the  psychological  entity  which  is  the 
*ego'  in  which  atavism  has  preserved  the  old 
leaven  of  idolatry  that  formerly  ruled  the 
thoughts  of  my  ancestors. 

**In  flattering  it  I  also  appease  conflicting 
energies  so  deeply  buried  in  my  soul  that  they 
only  manifest  their  hostility  by  mi  ill-d^ned 
feeling  which  nevertheless  gives  rise  to  a  tor- 
turing impression — doubt. 

"Once  at  peace  with  its  obscure  antagonist, 
my  other  *ego,*  released  from  all  fear,  gives 
the  measure  of  what  it  can  accomplish." 

This  concession  to  the  demands  of  an  oeeslt 

VII.4 


< 


48 


OPPORTUNITIES 


"ego"  is  often  the  starting-point  of  fetishism. 

But  there  are  not  many  who  are  capable  of 
analyzing  it  as  did  the  statesman  we  referred 
to. 

Rarer  still,  those  energetic  souls  who  know 
how  to  appease  the  importunate  '*ego"  with  the 
alms  of  superstition,  which  they  themselves  are, 
the  first  to  smile  at,  and  who,  having  done  this,' 
appeal  to  the  forces  which  they  feel  vibrating' 
in  them  before  entering  the  battle  in  which,, 
thanks  to  their  slight  sacrifice  to  weakness,  they' 
are  certain  of  triumph. 

Fetishism,  which  was  the  initial  stage  of  all 
religions,  is  the  genesis  of  belief  and  a  power 
superior  to  any  human  power.  * 

Our  primitive  ancestors,  upon  beholding  cata- 
clysms of  which  their  limited  knowledge  could 
not  determine  the  causes,  came  quite  naturally 
to  attribute  them  to  the  anger  of  a  superior 
power. 

The  idea  of  appeasing  this  overwhelming 
power  followed  upon  the  perception  of  its  mani- 
festations, and  of  the  sentiment  of  fear  was 
bom  fetishism. 

"When  the  means  of  appeasing  this  supreme 
power  was  thought  to  have  been  found  men 
next  tried  to  render  it  favorable  to  them. 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM 


4)9 


The  result  of  certain  coincidences  awoke  in 
\  them  a  rudimentary  sense  of  observation;  they 
remarked  that  some  happy  event  that  took  place 
on  the  day  they  performed  a  certain  act  was 
renewed  on  the  day  that  act  was  repeated.  But 
a  single  step  more  is  required  to  establish  belief 
in  a  strict  relation  between  these  two  very  dif- 
ferent ideas;  the  necessity  of  some  protecting 
influence  did  the  rest,  and  long  before  the  es- 
tablishment of  any  definitive  religion  that  of 
idols  governed  men. 

In  spite  of  the  evolution  determined  by 
science,  in  spite  of  the  intervention  of  knowl- 
edge and  reason,  there  are  to  be  found  many 
people  at  the  present  time  who,  independently  of 
their  religious  beliefs,  whether  real  or  negative, 
feel  the  need  of  worshiping  a  tangible  divinity. 

They  therefore  invent  luck — or  ill  luck- 
giving  it  some  form  under  which  they  may 
render  it  homage. 

As  we  have  said,  it  is  at  times  some  familiar 
object,  at  times  a  jewel  or  some  article  of  ap- 
parel. 

As  for  the  cult  of  fetishism,  it  spreads  with 
surprizing  rapidity  and  passes  easily  from  ob- 
ject to  impression. 

A  person  orders  a  carriage,  and  in  the  course 


50 


OPPORTUNITIES 


of  the  journey  mechanically  reads  the  number. 
Involuntarily  he  adds  the  two  figures  and  the 
cipher  thus  obtained  straightway  becomes 
fatidical.  If  success  has  marked  the  object  of 
the  journey  this  numeral  is  raised  to  the  rank 
of  a  fetish. 

You  see  every  day  people  who  plume  them- 
selves on  being  serious  deliberately  seek  out  a 
fiacre  with  numerals  whose  addition  will  make 
the  cipher  21. 

Others  wiU  withdraw  in  terror  if  they  chance 
to  set  foot  in  a  carriage  whose  numerals  pro- 
duce the  number  13. 

All  of  these  are  the  slaves  of  a  divinity  as 
illusive  as  she  is  capricious,  namely  of  Luck 
whom,  like  the  idolaters  of  old,  they  love  to 
clothe  with  a  sort  of  actuality  lest  she  remain 
invisible. 

Like  the  pagans  also,  they  pay  special  rever- 
ence to  the  naughty  goddess,  of  whose  wrath 
they  stand  in  fear. 

Exorcisms  against  bad  luck  mingle  in  their 
feeble  brains  with  invocations  to  good  luck  and 
determine,  even  in  cases  where  the  mental  ap- 
paratus is  healthy  enough,  a  sort  of  inequi- 
Ubrium  made  up  of  doubtful  faith  and  certain 
doubt,  of  which  the  former  is  addrest  to  their 


LUCK   AND   FETISHISM  61 

creed  and  the  latter  to  their  sense  of  personal 

worth. 

The  unfailing  result  of  these  wanderings  can 
not  be  otherwise  than  a  weakening  and  arresting 
influence  set  in  the  path  of  that  evolution  that 
leads  to  the  source  of  all  good :  The  Best  which 
is  at  once  the  cause  and  effort  of  perfection. 


1  I 


\i 


CHAPTER  IV 

FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD 

Ah!  if  I  had  only  dared!  But  I  knew  how 
poor  I  was  in  luck. 

How  often  have  we  all  heard  people  give  ex- 
pression to  this  double  regret — so  melancholy  in 
its  terseness. 

The  sentiment  of  ill  luck  is,  in  effect,  a  wall, 
against  which  all  efforts  break  and  shatter. 

At  times  it  is  merely  the  reproduction  of  a 
state  of  mind  caused  by  partial  failure. 

But  most  often  we  must  attribute  it  to  some 
real  fact;  certain  people  never  dare  to  make  the 
attempt  because  up  to  that  moment  nothing  has 
succeeded  with  them. 

To  believe  blindly  in  their  statement  would 
be  equivalent  to  following  them  in  their  error. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  true  that  many  men  seem  to 
have  the  right  to  take  to  themselves  the  title 
of  unlucky  since  all  that  they  have  attempted 
has  resulted  in  failure. 

To  the  superficial  observer  their  case  seems 
an  obvious  one,  for  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that 

52 


^ 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD    5S 

if  the  capricious  goddess  has  not  loaded  them 
with  her  favors,  neither  has  she  afflicted  them 
with  her  blows. 

Also,  these  same  persons  would  be  greatly 
surprized  if  one  were  to  demonstrate  to  them 
that  the  rigors  of  their  lot  are  deserved,  nay 
actually  provoked  by  their  own  conduct. 

Fortune  loves  not  those  who  hesitate.  She 
never  turns  toward  those  who  refuse  to  dare. 

Timidity  is  no  part  of  the  appanage  of  for- 
tune's favorites;  she  is  a  venturesome  goddess 
who  loves  the  audacious. 

She  despises  those  who  are  incapable  of  per- 
forming an  act  of  strength  in  order  to  win  her. 

AU  those  who  say,  **If  I  had  dared,"  and 
who  have  not  dared,  are  right  in  adding  that 
they  have  little  luck,  for  they  themselves  ac- 
knowledge that  they  have  done  nothing  to  obtain 

it. 

Daring,  rightly  understood,  is  the  source  of 
so  much  success  that  the  timid  covet  it  and 
attribute  it  to  luck  alone. 

We  have  already  said,  and  can  not  repeat  it 
too  often,  that  luck  alone  does  not  suffice  for 

success. 

Only  in  rare  exceptions  is  it  ever  found  as 

a  spontaneous  growth. 


\: 


54 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Luck  is  sown  as  plants  are  sown ;  it  must  be 
cultivated  under  penalty  of  withering;  its 
fruits  are  gathered  only  when  it  has  reached 

maturity. 

Now,  timidity  is  a  parasite  plant  which 
smothers  under  its  thick  foliage  the  vegetables 
that  audacity  protects  and  supports. 

Timidity  is,  by  nature  of  the  defect  which 
isolates  it,  voluntarily  removed  from  the  scene 

of  struggle. 

Need  he  be  astonished  at  not  being  victorious 
who  has  not  taken  part  in  the  fight? 

Life  is  a  battle,  and  the  prize  of  victory  is  for 
the  cleverest  as  well  as  for  the  bravest. 

This  victory,  according  to  its  kind,  takes  the 
name  of  realization,  success,  or  good  fortune. 

Realization  is  the  terminus  of  the  efforts 
directed  toward  the  goal  aimed  at. 

It  always  involves  a  series  of  labor  in  which 
are  intermingled  rapid  decisions  and  accom- 
plishments, one  dependent  upon  the  other. 

It  is  a  chain  of  which  the  first  link  is  desire 
and  the  last  satisfaction. 

Success  can  be  more  rapid. 

It  bears  at  times  upon  a  single  event;  at 
other  times  it  constitutes  a  group  of  facts,  all 
converging  toward  a  principal  fact. 


1/ 


I' 


^ 


\ 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  56 

It  is  also  more  definitive  than  realization  in  the 
sense  that  it  is  a  synthesis. 

A  realization  can  make    other    realizations 

prosper. 
A  success  merely  leaves  after  it  the  desire  to 

maintain  or  perfect  itself. 

It  exists,  like  realization,  at  the  cost  of  efforts 
more  or  less  decisive,  and  demands  in  greater 
measure  the  qualities  of  daring  and  decision. 

Opportunity,  good  fortune— in  appearance  at 
least— admits  less  of  labor  and  seems  to  bring 
success  without  our  doing  anything  to  evoke  it. 

Certainly  there  occur  opportunities  of  as- 
tonishing character  which  seem  to  affirm  the 
declaration  of  those  who  regard  chance  as  the 
sovereign  master  of  things;  these  understood 
opportunities,  however,  are  seldom  taken  ad- 
vantage of  by  the  timid  who  are  frightened  off 
by  the  duties  and  obligations  which  good  for- 
tune involves. 

They  do  nothing  to  consolidate  the  uncertain 
edifice  of  fortune  and  allow  it  to  crumble  away 
in  ruin,  giving  way  meanwhile  to  their  sad 
refrain,  "I  did  not  dare." 

Most  often  the  emergence  of  this  kind  of  op- 
portunity is  due  to  the  legitimate  operations  of 
the  daring  who  have  known  how  to  uncover  it. 


^'i' 


56 


OPPORTUNITIES 


The  quicksand  that  lies  in  wait  for  the  timid 
in  their  attempt  to  conquer  fortune  is  not  merely 
,  inaction,  to  which  all  the  timid  are  prone  by 
nature  of  their  defect ;  it  is  rather  ignorance, 
the  result  of  isolation,  which  makes  futile  all 
effort  to  escape  from  their  moral  imprisonment. 

It  is  not  a  rare  thing  to  see  men  habitually 
timid  at  heart  over-excited  as  the  result  of  sar- 
casm, and  perhaps  jealous  of  what  they  call 
their  neighbor's  luck,  fling  themselves  headlong 
into  danger  upon  occasion,  regardless  of  the 
warnings  of  the  intelligent. 

They  are  like  children  who  would  leap  over 
obstacles  of  which  they  can  not  gage  the  height. 
If  one  shows  them  their  error  they  will  in- 
stantly reject  the  advice,  for  presumption  is 
nearly  always  the  defect  of  the  timid. 

The  same  defect  may  be  applied  to  the  super- 
ficial—those who  confound  temerity  with 
audacity,  and  who  glory  in  trying  to  accom- 
plish things  which  are  beyond  their  powers. 

The  daring  often  go  to  the  length  of  their 
endowments  but  never  beyond  them. 

Audacity  is  made  up  of  small  qualities  which, 
tho  unrecognized  by  the  reactionaries  of  pro- 
gress, must  under  modem  conditions  of  life  be 
counted  as  real  virtues. 


' 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  67 

An  act  of  daring  accomplished  under  con- 
ditions which  do  not  leave  it  open  to  the  charge 
of  useless  temerity  is  produced  by  many  deter- 
mining causes: 

Judgment,  clear-cut,  and  safe. 

Promptitude  of  decision. 

Instantaneous  discernment  of  what  is  merely 
hurtful  temerity. 

Will-power,  which  dispenses  courage. 

And  finally  ambition,  which  suggests  the  goal. 

Good  judgment  is  a  trait  of  great  potency  to- 
ward which  gravitates  a  world  of  qualities 
having  an  inferior,  tho  essential  role. 

It  is  an  operation  of  the  mind  permitting  both 
the  exercise  of  control  over  spontaneity  and  the 
rejection  of  tastes  and  interests  of  least  im- 
portance, with  a  view  of  laying  stress  on  the 
thing  that  is  most  important. 

It  is  the  art  of  foreseeing  even  in  their 
slightest  consequences  the  acts  that  we  have  re- 
solved to  accomplish. 

{Further,  it  is  the  art  of  applying  the  prin- 
ciples of  deduction  which  flow  from  impartial 
comparison. 

Good  judgment  demands  great  independence 
of  ideas  and,  in  addition,  the  sagacity  that 
comes  of  presence  of  mind. 


58 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Never  has  an  enthusiast  attained  to  good 

judgment. 

His  imagination  will  always  lure  him  far 
beyond  the  point  which  should  be  the  goal  of 

his  effort. 

He  will  allow  himself  to  be  persuaded  by  fal- 
lacious arguments  whose  sonorous  character  will 
appeal  to  him,  and  he  will  spurn  the  wise  ad- 
vice  offered  as  a  counterpoise  to  his  boyish  ardor. 

He  who  is  gifted  with  good  judgment  will 
also  avoid  that  stagnation  of  ideas  which  so 
many  have  made  as  a  law  unto  themselves. 

The  principle  involved  is  certainly  respect- 
able enough,  and  those  who  are  guided  by  it  are 
worthy  of  consideration,  but  they  overlook  the 
fact  that  between  the  obstinate  maintaining  of 
an  opinion  and  error  the  distance  is  so  slight 
that  it  may  be  passed  over  without  one  being 
aware  of  it. 

How  is  it  possible  to  adhere  to  some  pet 
opinion  when  the  reasons  on  which  it  is  based 
are  constantly  changing  in  character. 

The  evolution  of  manners  and  of  states  of 
mind  forcibly  bring  about  the  evolution  of 
thought  and,  by  consequence,  the  upheaval  of 
principles  which  are  at  the  root  of  all  reason- 
ing. 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  69 

In  order  to  render  an  impartial  judgment 
of  things  it  is,  then,  essential  to  permit  thought 
to  follow  the  bent  of  actual,  existing  ideas  and 
to  adopt  the  conclusions  thus  arrived  at  to  the 
predominating  sentiment  of  the  social  life  of 
the  period.  Some  measure  that  was  praiseworthy 
twenty  years  ago  would  now  earn  the  reproba- 
tion of  opportunists. 

At  that  time  those  who  wanted  to  travel  fast 
used  carriages ;  now  they  would  be  distanced  by 
automobiles,  and  those  who  are  old-fashioned 
enough  to  use  the  former  mode  of  locomotion 
must  be  satisfied  with  a  place  in  the  rear. 

Good  judgment  should  then  take  note  of  all 
the  circumstances  present  in  a  fact,  and  should 
reject  those  that  smack  of  error. 

To  adhere  to  one  set  of  opinions  is  to  deny 
progress  and  to  repel  opportunity,  which  does 
not  love  the  obstinate  and  the  timorous. 

Perfect  judgment,  by  accelerating  the  pro- 
duction of  ideas,  provokes  the  promptitude  of 
decision  essential  to  the  daring  act. 

Habit  of  observation  and  of  comparison  by 
doing  away  with  the  tendency  to  accept  ready- 
made  opinions  leaves  to  a  mind  naturally  active 
the  opportunity  to  distinguish  the  truth  and  to 
establish  rapidly  the  true  relations  of  things. 


60 


OPPORTUNITIES 


It  thus  becomes  easy  to  arrive  at  a  solution, 
for  imagination  thus  solicited  can  readily  take 
in  the  favorable  possibilities  of  acquisition  and 
successfully  elude  the  undesirable  ones. 

This  rapidity  of  decision  permits  us  to  dis- 
cern the  faint  boundary  which  separates  au- 
dacity from  temerity. 

Both  traits  tend  strongly  toward  the  same 
goal,  but  while  the  man  of  daring,  thanks  to 
the  will  to  reason,  seizes  with  a  firm  grasp  the 
relationship  of  things,  the  man  given  to  temerity 
sees  only  the  goal  of  his  desires  and  never  cal- 
culates the  consequences  of  the  act  which,  theo- 
retically, ought  to  reach  the  object  of  his  solici- 
tude. 

''Two  men,"  we  read  in  ** Timidity:  How  to 
Overcome  It,"  *'once  set  out  to  seek  Fortune. 

**They  traversed  fields  and  mountains  with- 
out finding  any  trace  of  the  capricious  goddess. 

''They  were  on  the  brink  of  despair,  when  one 
evening  as  the  setting  sun  was  shedding  its 
rosy  beams  over  the  land,  they  reached  a  marsh 
which  suddenly  brought  their  journey  to  an  end, 

"On  the  farther  side  green  plains  and  trees 
loaded  with  flowers  beckoned  them  across. 

"They  tried  every  means,  but  the  marsh  was 
the  only  way  of  reaching  the  desired  point. 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  61 

"Now,  to  venture  in  that  direction  meant  cer- 
tain disaster;  they  therefore  decided  to  retrace 
their  steps,  when  suddenly  they  saw  a  form  out- 
lined against  the  fiery  sky. 

**It  was  She  beyond  a  doubt;  it  was  Fortune 
who  was  beckoning  them  onward,  smiling  upon 
them  the  while. 

'*  Trembling  with  emotion  they  stood  mute  for 
a  moment,  their  eyes  fixt  upon  the  lovely  form 
which  summoned  them  so  invitingly. 

**  *We  must  go  to  her,'  they  cried,  *but  how.' 

"  *By  the  shortest  route,'  cried  one,  making 
i&s  if  to  plunge  headlong. 

"  'Have  you  lost  your  senses?'  cried  his  com- 
panion, holding  him  back.  You  know  well  these 
swamps  will  swallow  up  any  one  that  ventures 
into  them.' 

"Without  deigning  to  listen  to  the  warning 
the  rash  youth  tore  himself  away  and  flung  him- 
self into  the  marsh  which  swallowed  him  as  so 
much  prey. 

"In  the  meantime  the  other  had  gathered 
branches,  and  these  he  threw  upon  the  miry  sur- 
face of  the  marsh,  arranging  them  with  care. 

"True,  in  doing  this  he  risked  his  life,  but  he 
did  not  run  upon  certain  death  like  his  com- 
panion. 


62 


OPPORTUNITIES 


"Taking  a  good  start  he  ran  lightly  over  the 
branches  which  disappeared  behind  him  in  the 
mud;  in  a  few  leaps  he  landed  upon  the  op- 
posite bank. 

**  Fortune,  who  had  merely  smiled  disdain- 
fully upon  the  rash  exploit  of  the  first  member 
of  the  party  and  was  continuing  on  her  way, 
paused  suddenly,  her  attention  being  caught  by 
the  daring  efforts  of  the  second  youth  who  was 
clever  enough  to  seize  hold  of  a  comer  of  her 

mantle." 

No  comparison  could  show,  as  this  story  does, 
the  difference  between  rashness  and  daring. 

In  the  latter  youth  we  see  unfolded  aU  the 
qualities  that  constitute  daring. 

Nicety  of  judgment  is  shown  in  the  certitude 
that  characterizes  the  act  about  to  be  attempted. 

The  daring  man  knew  by  dint  of  rapid 
reasoning  the  thing  that  was  necessary  to  do  in 
order  to  win  the  success  which  was  smiling 
upon  him  from  afar  in  the  guise  of  Fortune. 

Promptness  of  decision  supplied  him  with  the 
immediate  resolution  essential  to  accomplishing 

his  purpose. 

But  his  power  of  discernment,  which  enabled 
him  to  differentiate  between  audacity  and 
twnerity,  enabled  him  to  see  the  utter  folly  of 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  63 

any  direct  act;  while  will  which  dispenses, 
courage  joined  to  ambition  which  suggests  the 
aim  did  not  permit  him  to  neglect  the  oppor- 
tunity presented  to  him. 

He  now  draws  upon  good  judgment  as  well 
as  upon  deduction,  child  of  experience ;  and  his 
natural  activity  of  mind  coming  to  his  aid,  the 
means  usually  employed  for  fording  a  marsh 
immediately  occurred  to  him. 

Quick  decision  has  lent  him  its  powerful  aid, 
enabling  him  to  accomplish  in  turn  the  task 
which  circumstances  impose  upon  him;  and 
daring,  firm,  sane,  and  reasoned — the  only  kind 
worth  having — ^sustains  him  with  its  magical 
power.  Thus  equipped,  he  launches  into  the 
struggle  assured  of  victory. 

All  the  mystery  of  luck  is  often  thus  ex- 
plained. 

The  superficial,  those  who  are  victims  of  their 
own  mental  shallowness,  devotees  of  supersti- 
tion, will  see  in  such  eases  nothing  but  brilliant 
tricks  of  Fortune. 

They  reason  this  way :  The  first  man  dies  and 
the  second  makes  his  fortune;  the  latter  is  a 
lucky  man,  and  one  to  be  envied.  As  for  the 
first,  they  can  not  sufficiently  deplore  his  fate. 
They  regard  him  as  a  victim  of  had  luck,  altho, 

VII.6 


n 


64 


OPPORTUNITIES 


as  we  see,  his  fate  was  due  directly  to  faulty 
judgment  which  prompted  him  to  an  act  of 
absurd  temerity  that  could  have  no  other  than 
a  lamentable  result. 

It  still  remains  to  speak  of  ambition,  a  trait 
which  plays  so  important  a  role  in  all  acts  of 

daring. 

This  trait  is  a  phase  of  pride  which  can  not 
be  too  highly  prized  since  it  is  the  most  telling 
manifestation  of  desire  for  betterment— a  trait 
which  may  conduce  to  the  realization  of  the 
finest  projects. 

Ambition  constitutes  a  sword  and  bucMer 
against  the  invasion  of  mediocrity— more  fatal 
at  times  than  actual  wickedness. 

Lack  of  ambition  is  generally  a  negative 
quality  that  serves  as  a  refuge  for  incapacity. 

It  is  also  the  direct  proof  of  distrust  in  one's 
own  strength,  negation  of  ambition  being  nearly 
always  the  herald  of  defeat. 

It  is  nothing  but  vanity  ill-disguised,  a  futile 
and  stubborn  form  of  presumption  which  keeps 
its  victim  from  the  fight  out  of  fear  of  defeat— 
a  contingency  that   would  hurt   self-love   too 

much. 

It  happens  nearly  always  that  those  who 
assert  contempt  for  ambition  punctuate  their 


FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BOLD  65 

philosophy  by  the  words,  "You  see  I  am  not 
one  of  Fortune's  favorites,"  or  **I  am  too  prone 
to  ill  luck  to  attempt  anything  like  that." 

Others  add,  **I  did  not  dare  the  attempt  be- 
cause I  knew  myself  to  be  unlucky." 

If  they  would  reflect  ever  so  little  before 
giving  way  to  their  monotonous  complaints  they 
would  see  that  luck  in  the  proper  sense  of  the 
word,  that  is  to  say  that  precious  vein  of  gold 
can  only  be  won  by  him  who  can  descend  into 
the  mine  and  tear  it  from  the  rock  which  holds 
it  prisoner,  or  from  the  earth  which  conceals  it. 

He  who  is  doubtful  of  finding  it,  or  becomes 
discouraged  at  the  first  attempt  will  never  be- 
come its  possessor. 

This  thrice-lucky  vein  of  gold  will  never  be 
found  by  the  timid  who  fear  the  dangerous 
subterranean  adventure. 

No  more  will  it  fall  to  the  rash  man,  who 
instead  of  availing  himself  of  all  the  precautions 
known  to  the  gold-seekers'  trade,  enters  maimed 
upon  his  task. 

It  will  fall  a  conquest  to  those  daring  ones 
who,  with  the  aid  of  ripe  judgment  seek  it  under 
the  proper  conditions,  and  who  find  encourage- 
ment in  the  knowledge  that,  once  discovered,  it 
will  assure  their  future  happiness. 


w 


CHAPTER  V 

LUCK  AND   CHANCE 

Altho  chance  quite  often  partakes  of  the 
qualities  of  luck  none  but  the  most  superficial 
would  think  of  confounding  the  two. 

Luck  is  happy  chance  produced  by  the  effect 
of  circumstances  which  we  are  accustomed  to 
regard  under  the  aspect  of  fatality. 

It  is  nearly  always  some  isolated  circumstance 
which  is  denoted  by  the  term. 

Believers  in  luck  have  established  between  the 
isolated  manifestation  and  its  repetition  a  dif- 
ference which  is  exprest  by  two  almost  similar 
phrases,  whose  range  of  meaning,  nevertheless, 
is  quite  distinct. 

In  speaking  of  one  to  whom  has  befallen  some 
lucky  chance,  the  French  say,  he  has  had  some 
luck,  and  they  then  mention  of  what  it  consists. 

If  they  wish  to  designate  one  whose  life  was 
filled  with  lucky  chances,  they  say  he  has  had 
luck. 

In  the  first  case  they  mean  that  he  was  yisited 

66 


LUCK  AND   CHANCE 


67 


by  opportunity  at  the  time  to  which  they  make 
reference. 

In  the  second  they  wish  to  infer  that  fortune 
has  been  an  assiduous,  protecting  power,  appear- 
ing upon  the  slightest  occasion,  in  a  word  that 
luck  exercised  a  powerful  influence  upon  the 
whole  life  of  the  person  in  question. 

We  can  not  always  put  faith  in  the  beneficent 
intention  of  those  who  pay  this  sort  of  com- 
pliment. 

To  say  that  any  one  has  been  lucky  is  not  a 
very  high  tribute  to  his  intelligence. 

To  declare  that  success  is  due  to  good  luck  is 
often  equivalent  to  denying  the  qualities  of  will- 
power, perseverance,  patience  and  endurance 
which  are  the  habitual  traits  of  those  who  succeed. 

It  is  the  judgment  pronounced  upon  those 
whose  success  is  believed  to  have  been  usurped. 

In  letting  it  be  understood  that  luck  is  the 
sole  source  of  their  success,  the  inference  is  that 
without  such  intervention  they  would  have  been 
incapable  of  succeeding. 

We  have  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter  how 
erroneous  it  is  to  think  that  genuine  good  for- 
tune can  come  to  him  who  has  made  no  provision 
for  it,  or  neglected  to  extend  the  proper  wel- 
come to  the  distinguished  visitor. 


68 


OPPORTUNITIES 


It 


Without  insisting  further  upon  this  point,  al- 
ready sufficiently  developed,  we  would  yet  draw 
attention  to  the  error  upon  which  rests  the  mis- 
conception in  question. 

Luck,  or  good  fortune,  does  not  lack  explan- 
ation for  the  reason  that  it  consists  of  a  chain 
of  chance  events,  each  of  which  is  determined 
by  a  cause. 

Many  persons  attribute  the  origin  of  luck  to 

obscure  causes. 

They  persuade  themselves  that  it  is  governed 
by  special  laws,  of  which  laws  they  would  like 
to  have  some  explanation. 

At  times  they  imagine  that  they  have  actually 
grasped  this  coveted  knowledge  by  putting  to- 
gether coincidences  whose  results  have  been 
found  to  be  identical. 

A  certain  fact  having  taken  place  in  a  certain 
way  under  certain  circumstances,  they  conclude 
that  a  repetition  of  the  same  conditions  will  pro- 
duce an  analogous  fact. 

Again,  they  think  themselves  assured  against 
mischance  re-occurring  within  definite  limits. 

Thus  we  often  hear  people  say  quite  seriously: 
**I  feel  quite  safe  in  going  out  to-day  because 
there  was  an  accident  yesterday  on  the  road." 

And  if  they  are  asked  how  a  past  event  of  this 


LUCK   AND    CHANCE 


69 


kind  can  have  any  effect  upon  their  present 
safety  they  will  reply  quite  confidently:  *'0h! 
there  has  never  been  an  instance  of  the  same 
accident  being  repeated  the  next  day." 

Upon  what  do  they  base  their  conclusion? 

Simply  upon  the  chances  of  probability. 

Yet  these  chances  of  probability  were  quite  as 
many  on  the  eve  of  the  accident. 

If  we  suppose  the  number  of  accidents  that 
take  place  in  a  year  to  be  represented  by  the 
figure  X,  there  is  nothing  to  prove  that  this 
number  can  not  be  increased  by  an  unlooked- 
for  disastrous  series;  and  the  catastrophe  of  the 
day  before  can,  under  no  consideration,  be  re- 
garded as  a  guaranty  of  safety  for  the  morrow. 

Nevertheless,  those  who  reason  in  this  wise 
are  not  altogether  in  the  wrong;  tho  their  de- 
duction is  entirely  false,  the  conclusion  that 
follows  it  may  be  true. 

There  is  little  chance  of  the  same  accident 
being  repeated  for  the  reason  that  on  the  morrow 
of  a  catastrophe  the  super-excited  attention  of 
the  public  caused  by  the  painful  incidents  of  the 
disaster  prompts  the  taking  of  measures  tending 
to  prevent  a  repetition. 

Later  on,  when  the  painful  impression  is 
effaced  and  the  remembrance  of  the  horrors  has 


70 


OPPORTUNITIES 


faded,  there  is  more  likelihood  of  imprudence 
or  relaxing  of  authority. 

The  sole  validity  in  this  kind  of  dicer's  se- 
curity lies  in  this  way  of  reasoning,  and  not  in 
the  superstition  which  consists  in  representing 
mischance  as  something  sinister  not  likely  to 
pass  twice  by  the  same  road. 

This  belief  is  as  false  as  the  opposite  con- 
viction, which  consists  in  hoping  that  the  inter- 
vention of  good  fortune  may  be  brought  about 
if  we  can  but  reproduce  a  certain  set  of  circum- 
stances already  known  to  be  propitious. 

Good  fortune,  then,  is  the  result  of  one  or 
more  lucky  chance  events.  But  chance  itself — 
is  it  the  product  of  some  occult  will? 

Is  it  some  powerful  divinity? 

Is  it  in  reality  the  blind  and  capricious  entity 
to  which  the  superstitious  pay  reverence? 

As  soon  as  we  abandon  the  realm  of  fiction 
and  enter  that  of  reason  we  perceive  that  chance 
is  regarded  by  the  intelligent  as  the  fictive  cause 
of  a  train  of  circumstances. 

It  is  brought  about  without  organization. 

It  is  the  unexpected  encounter  of  the  elements 
which  concur  in  its  formation. 

Nevertheless,  chance  never  supervenes  except 
ias  the  sequel  of  a  cause. 


LUCK   AND   CHANCE 


71 


* 


fl 


I 


"We  shall  not  enter  into  the  details  of  the 
difficult  question  of  causality,  but  shall  content 
ourselves  with  merely  sketching  out  its  main 

lines. 

Every  phenomenon,  whether  it  be  called 
chance,  opportunity,  or  misfortune,  has  a  cause. 

This  cause  is  also  named  the  principle. 

The  principle  is  the  beginning,  the  genesis  of 
everything. 

The  cause,  taken  in  another  sense,  is  also  the 

motive. 

It  is  the  reason  which  determines  the  fact. 

We  will  suppose  that  a  lady  in  leaving  a  ball- 
room has  neglected  to  put  on  her  wraps,  and  as 
a  consequence  has  contracted  an  affection  which 
developed  into  a  long  illness  resulting  in  death. 

Fetichards  will  say:  ''She  had  the  ill  luck 
to  take  sick  and  could  not  be  cured.*' 

The  dictum  of  the  intelligent  will  be:  ''The 
cause  of  her  death  was  not  ill  luck,  but  her  own 
imprudence  which  made  her  neglect  to  take  the 
ordinary  precautions.  This  imprudence  deter- 
mined a  cold  which  was  the  principle  of  her  ill- 
ness, meaning  by  that  term  the  beginning  of  it." 

As  every  one  knows,  nothing  exists  without  a 
cause,  and  everything  has  a  principle,  that  is 
to  say  a  beginning. 


n 


OPPORTUNITIES 


The  cause  is  also  known  as  the  motive;  and 
in  this  case,  while  continuing  to  suggest  the  idea 
of  origin,  it  also  awakens  that  of  relativity. 

The  motive  of  a  thing  is  always  coincident 
with  its  reason  for  being. 

It  is  the  tie  which  binds  the  initial  cause  to 
the  principle  of  that  thing. 

Cause  is  divided  into  four  principal  cate- 
gories : 

First— That  cause  of  which  we  have  just 
spoken,  which  is  the  determining  agent. 

Secondly— The  element  from  which  this  cause 

is  drawn. 

Thirdly— The  idea  or  the  plan  conceived  as 

to  a  given  subject. 

Fourthly— The  ends  which  it  represents  and 
which  are  called  final  causes. 

All  these  causes,  brought  together  and 
grouped  under  the  title  of  causalities,  always 
constitute  the  genesis  of  chance. 

Chance  is  produced  by  the  cooperation  of  causes. 

At  times  it  is  difficult  to  determine  these,  but 
they  always  exist. 

This  is  why  those  who  believe  purely  and 
simply  in  the  intervention  of  a  thing,  without 
that  thing  receiving  any  outside  help,  remain 
powerless  to  ward  off  the  consequences. 


LUCK   AND   CHANCE 


73 


Now  if  we  take  the  trouble  to  use  our  reason, 
disregarding  the  while  all  incitements  of  moral 
weakness  toward  cessation  of  effort,  we  shall  see 
that  in  a  given  circumstance,  when  luck  makes  a 
sudden  entrance  upon  the  stage,  its  exit  will  be 
just  as  sudden,  unless  it  be  accompanied  and 
supported  by  its  satellites  who  appear  in  the 
train  of  its  creation — ^Will. 

There  is  hardly  a  newspaper  reader  who  upon 
seeing  the  name  of  the  winner  of  the  chief  prize 
in  the  Lottery,  can  refrain  from  exclaiming, 
''"What  a  lucky  man!" 

Yet,  of  all  who  give  way  to  the  exclamation 
how  many  are  there  who  know  anything  about 
the  lucky  man's  past? 

The  total  of  the  prize  probably  does  not  repre- 
sent the  sums  which  during  the  course  of  years 
have  been  swallowed  up  in  the  hazardous  enter- 
prise. 

Attention  is  confined  to  the  winning  ticket 

only,  and  the  rest  are  ignored. 

The  winner  of  the  chief  prize  is  (save  for  the 
exception  that  confirms  the  rule)  the  best  patron 
of  the  lottery,  and  his  luck  of  the  moment  is  but 
the  compensation  for  enormous  losses. 

Experimenters,  professing  the  incredulity  as 
regards  luck  that  marks  all  sensible  men,  have 


74 


OPPORTUNITIES 


at  times  produced  statistics  tending  to  prove 
the  truth  of  their  theory. 

They  have  carefully  set  apart  those  who  have 
made  an  unexpected  stroke  of  luck,  and  have 
followed  them  step  by  step  through  their  career. 

Some,  dazzled  by  fortune  and  ignorant  of  the 
value  of  money  they  did  not  have  to  earn,  let 
themselves  lapse  into  prodigal  courses  with  the 
usual  result — the  vanishing  of  the  fortuitously 
grasped  treasure. 

Others  have  seen  in  the  windfall  but  the  means 
of  gaining  great  sums  without  working. 

Fortune,  however,  unseconded  by  the  qualities 
she  demands  for  her  escort,  veils  her  face  forth- 
with and  departs  for  her  fabled  realm. 

Still  others,  and  these  are  the  least  to  blame, 
see  themselves  despoiled  by  sharpers  who  in  the 
guise  of  capitalists  take  advantage  of  their  in- 
experience. 

We  pass  over  those  who  become  the  prey  of 
malefactors  or  the  victims  of  fatal  circumstances. 

Statistics  show  that  out  of  one  hundred  of 
those  characterized  as  lucky  winners  hardly  ten 
escape  the  common  lot,  that  of  waking  up  some 
morning  to  find  themselves  as  poor  as  ever. 

And  at  this  point  the  partizans  of  chance  will 
be  ready  to  claim  a  victory,  saying  that  these 


LUCK  AND   CHANCE 


76 


^1 


ten  are  the  lucky  ones,  while  the  others  were 
lacking  in  the  gift. 

Truth,  however,  compels  us  to  contradict 
them. 

These  ten  are  the  wise  ones;  they  are  the  ones 
who  have  known  how  to  profit  by  a  lucky  chance 
which  they  knew  how  to  put  to  profit,  tho  they 
did  not  bring  it  about;  and  we  are  right  in 
affirming  that  even  without  their  windfall  they 
would  still  have  reached  success. 

Fortune,  perhaps,  would  have  come  to  them 
by  a  less  rapid  route,  but  it  would  not  have 
failed  to  respond,  as  it  always  does  to  the  ob- 
stinate toil  of  the  persevering. 

This  is  what  we  see  clearly  defined  in  what  is 
called  the  result  produced  by  the  cooperation  of 
causes. 

This  train  of  circumstances,  brought  about  by 
ia  series  of  efforts  converging  on  a  single  goal 
and  guided  by  a  directing  will,  always  develops 
a  power  which  is  superior  to  all  the  tricks  of 
chance. 

At  times  it  becomes  the  pivot  of  chance  itself. 

Fetishists  call  it  luck. 

Those  whom  faith  in  their  own  mental  powers 
alienates  from  what  they  regard  as  superstition 
have  named  it  recompense. 


76 


OPPORTUNITIES 


The  fact  is,  for  those  whom  healthy  reasoning 
and  the  habit  of  deduction  have  equipped  with 
good  judgement,  it  is  quite  easy  to  reconstitute 
the  generating  causes  of  chance. 

It  will  then  be  recognized  that  these  always 
bring  about  the  result  that  logically  should  flow 
from  them. 

We  have  not  yet  referred  to  exceptions  which, 
as  one  may  say  with  truth,  but  confirm  the  rule. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  events  totally  un- 
expected httve  come  from  causes  that  give  rise  to 
the  suspicion  that  chance  is  their  author. 

If  they  are  of  the  favorable  sort  they  are 
crowned  with  the  name  of  luck ;  if  the  contrary 
kind,  they  fall  under  the  ban  of  ill  luck. 

But  what  is  not  sufficiently  reflected  upon,  nor 
always  recognized,  is  that  while  the  production 
of  these  facts  is  undeniable,  it  oscillates,  within 
a  certain  lapse  of  time,  between  set-back  and  suc- 
cess. 

The  wise  are  those  who,  while  taking  into  ac- 
count the  caprices  of  chance,  do  everything  to 
render  it  favorable. 

They  do  not  always  succeed;  this  would  be 
asking  too  much.  But  they  take  means  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  ill  fortune  by  providing 
in  advance  against  its  inroads. 


LUCK   AND    CHANCE 


77 


Two  men  are  trapped  in  a  house  which  is  on  fire. 

They  rush  headlong  for  the  window,  the  only 
possible  means  of  escape.  It  is  several  stories 
from  the  ground.    "What  is  to  be  done  ? 

The  flames  are  gaining  on  them  and  they  must 
decide  quickly.  There  is  but  one  choice :  either 
jump  or  be  burned  to  a  cinder. 

One  seizes  the  mattress  from  the  bed  and 
drops  it  to  the  street  just  below  the  window. 
Then  snatching  up  clothes  and  curtains,  he  knots 
them  together  and,  climbing  over  the  balcony, 
slips  down  on  them. 

Provided  the  improvised  rope  be  not  too  short, 
the  fall  will  be  slight  and  the  mattress  below  will 
lessen  its  impact. 

There  are  several  chances,  then,  that  the  man 
will  light  upon  the  ground  more  or  less  hurt 
but  saved  from  serious  injury. 

The  second  has  remained  in  the  blazing  room, 
tearing  his  hair  and  cursing  his  tragic  fate, 
while  the  flames  are  spreading;  impotent,  too 
terrified  to  make  any  bold  attempt  to  save  him- 
self, and  yet  frantic  at  t^  a  idea  of  inevitable 
death,  he  recoils  till  the  wi  dow  is  reached.  The 
flames  are  almost  touching  him. 

The  horrible  alternative  inspires  in  him  an 
act,  instinctive,  yet  hardly  springing  from  the 


78 


OPPORTUNITIES 


LUCK   AND   CHANCE 


79 


^1! 


instinct  of  self-preservation.  This  act,  with 
the  impulsive,  consists  in  precipitating  oneself 
upon  any  risk  whatever  in  order  to  escape  an 
inevitable  danger. 

He  jumps. 

The  frightful  shock  has  dislocated  his  mem- 
bers, and  he  expires  in  a  few  moments  in  the 
arms  of  his  companion  in  misfortune ;  who,  how- 
ever, by  virtue  of  good  judgment  and  its  sequel, 
decision,  has  escaped  the  catastrophe  which  was 
fatal  for  the  other. 

There  are  persons  who  will  say  of  the  first: 
**He  had  the  luck  to  escape  from  the  fire." 

And  of  the  second:  **He  was  not  lucky  enough 
to  escape." 

All  chance  events  of  the  evil  sort  do  not  per- 
mit of  our  escaping  their  consequences,  and 
we  do  not  mean  to  assert  that  in  these  cases  it 
is  always  feasible  to  avoid  disaster. 

It  will  be  seen  upon  reflection  that  in  the 
example  just  cited  of  the  man  who  was  saved, 
the  word  liicky  can  only  be  used  in  the  sense 
of  relativity. 

He  saved  his  life  ut  suffered  the  loss  of  his 
property,  and  must  remain  for  a  time  the  worse 

for  his  fall. 
And  here,  by  the  way,  we  have  a  striking 


flustration  of  the  difference  between  chance  and 
luck. 

One  might  say  he  had  the  iU  luck  to  be  the 
victim  of  sorry  mischance. 

The  mischance  was  the  fire. 

The  ill  luck  was  the  fact  of  suffering  from  it 

By  cleverness  the  suffering  was  kept  within 

limits. 
Now,  for  the  intelligent  there  is  no  such  thing 

as  ill  luck. 

Good  sense,  that  priceless  possession,  always 
saves  them  from  being  delivered  and  bound 
hand  and  foot  to  that  divinity. 

He  who,  while  admitting  chance,  is  deter- 
mined to  do  what  he  can  to  regulate  what  causea 
it,  as  far  as  this  lies  in  his  power,  will  never 
allow  himself  to  be  ruled  by  a  belief  the  main 
result  of  which  is  to  minister  to  moral  weakness. 

He  will  do  all  in  his  power  to  prevent  ill  luck 
from  appearing  in  the  guise  of  sorry  mischance, 
and  if  it  be  found  impossible  to  suppress  it  com- 
pletely he  will  do  his  best  to  attenuate  it  and, 
while  bravely  enduring  it,  will  cherish  the  hope 
of  mending  it. 


VI  1.6 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  PART  THAT  LUCK  PLAYS  IN 

LIFE 

Those  who  have  read  the  preceding  pages 
with  attention  will  be  inclined  to  believe  the 
part  played  by  luck  in  life  is  much  less  con- 
siderable than  might  first  be  imagined. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  just  to  say  that  those 
who  would  convince  us  of  the  contrary  are 
nearly  all  given  to  physical  indolences  or  intel- 
lectual atony. 

It  is  so  easy  to  let  life  slide  on  and  to  lay  to 
the  charge  of  some  obscure  entity  all  the  respon- 
sibilities we  do  not  care  to  shoulder  ourselves. 

It  will  be  remarked,  moreover,  that  the  hide- 
bound partizans  of  the  doctrine  are  the  first  to 
deny  it  just  as  soon  as  it  touches  their  vanity. 

•riiey  are  all  disposed  to  attribute  their  re- 
verses to  the  ill  will  of  fortune;  but  let  success 
come,  and  straightway  they  attribute  it  to  their 
own  merits. 

80 


LUCK   IN   LIFE 


81 


Luck !  That  is  for  others.  It  applies  to  their 
friends,  their  colleagues,  all  but  themselves  who 
have  gained  success. 

All,  in  their  view,  owe  the  realization  of  their 
aims  to  a  train  of  circumstances  so  favorable 
that  it  would,  in  truth,  have  been  difficult  for 
them  to  avoid  succeeding. 

Ah !  if  they  could  only  say  as  much. 

But  no,  ill  luck  has  dogged  them  remorselessly, 
they  assure  us;  it  has  pursued  them  as  per- 
sistently as  it  has  avoided  their  neighbors. 

What  then  is  to  be  done?  What  can  be  at- 
tempted against  an  intangible  thing  which  only 
shows  itself  in  chance  encounters? 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  persons  who  thus  com- 
plain do  not  neglect  to  speak  with  contempt  of 
other's  success. 

**Yes,"  they  say,  **such  a  one  has  been  raised 
by  luck  to  the  pinnacle  of  success,  nevertheless 
he  did  nothing  to  deserve  this  good  fortune ;  ah ! 
if  I  had  only  been  in  his  place!  If,  instead  of 
having  mischance  always  clinging  to  me,  I  had 
been  favored  by  his  good  luck!" 

But  if  fortune,  in  the  guise  of  some  unfore- 
seen opportunity,  some  day  knocks  at  his  door, 
he  will  not  fail  to  show  his  less-favored  friends 
all  the  disdainful  hauteur  at  his  command. 


82 


OPPORTUNITIES 


In  this  instance  luck  has  disappeared;  there 
is  no  question  of  complaisant  chance  here;  this 
result,  as  brilliant  as  it  was  unexpected,  has  in 
it  nothing  whatever  of  fortuitous  character;  it 
is  entirely  due  to  his  singular  merits. 

This  shallowness  marks  the  greater  part  of 
those  who,  too  weak  to  make  a  conquest  of  luck, 
too  indolent  to  master  it  and  too  superficial  to 
sustain  it  if  it  visit  them,  are  glad  to  give  a 
plausible  pretext  for  their  neglectfulness. 

The  evil  would  be  less  than  one  might  fear 
if  they  could  only  be  brought  to  realize  their 
bad  faith,  but  in  this  case  persuasion  rarely  ac- 
complishes its  purpose. 

By  dint  of  repeating  that  they  are  unlucky 
they  end  by  realizing  the  suggestion. 

Having  made  these  declarations  with  the 
unique  object  of  safeguarding  pride  and  as  an 
excuse  for  indolence,  they  feel  slowly  strong  in 
their  arguments  of  self-exculpation. 

It  does  not  suffice  for  them  to  merit  fhe  in- 
dulgence of  others,  they  wish  to  appear  innocent 
to  themselves. 

The  pretext  is  so  easy,  it  flatters  their  natural 
tendencies  so  much,  that  the  second  **ego"  ac- 
cepts with  fervor  the  absolution  that  the  first 
dictates. 


LUCK   IN   LIFE 


8S 


Little  by  little  imagination  is  converted  into 
reality,  and  as  it  is  infinitely  convenient  to  yield 
to  one's  inclination,  while  calling  it  necessity, 
they  wind  up  by  definitely  abandoning  them- 
selves to  their  natural  weakness,  finding  ex- 
cuses the  while  which  lessen  and  finally  kill  re- 
morse. 

**How,"  they  ask,  **can  you  struggle  against 
a  power  which  fells  you  to  the  ground  before 
you  know  what  has  struck  you.  Is  it  not  the 
wisest  cause  to  dissemble  as  best  one  can,  and  to 
try  to  regard  as  something  imprisoned,  or  to 
forget,    that    terrible    entity    that    we    name 

chance." 

And,  strong  in  this  argument  destined  to  de- 
lude them,  they  sink  anew  into  their  torpor. 

In  addition  to  these  we  often  meet  the  exact- 
ing sort,  who  are  ever  ready  to  complain  of  the 
slightness  of  the  role  that  chance  has  played  in 
their  lives. 

These  are  never  satisfied  with  its  intervention 
no  matter  how  favorable  it  may  have  been. 

They  would  like  to  see  it  manifest  itself  upon 
bH  occasions  of  life,  and  would  find  it  quite 
natural  if  chance  would  assume  charge  of  their 
personal  welfare. 

True,  no  matter  how  luck  may  show  itself  in 


84 


OPPORTUNITIES 


their  regard  they  will  be  found  inclined  to 
criticize  its  acts.  ^ 

Too  coy  in  some  cases,  it  is  too  unrestrained 
in  others,  and  if  momentarily  it  ceases  to  pour 
its  gifts  into  their  lap  they  break  out  in  lamen- 
tations, forgetful  of  its  past  favors. 

It  is  a  rare  thing  if  this  way  of  acting  is  dic- 
tated by  any  other  sentiment  than  extreme  in- 
dolence, allied  to  a  presumption  which  will  not 
admit  the  least  inferiority. 

This  mental  attitude  is  exprest  by  the  familiar 
saying,  **He  imagines  that  he  has  a  right  to 
everything." 

It  is,  in  fact,  the  habitual  state  of  mind  of 
the  exacting ;  nothing  that  comes  to  them  in  the 
way  of  happiness  astonishes  them;  no  matter 
how  unlikely  the  thing  that  befalls  them,  they 
regard  it  as  due  tribute,  indispensable  homage 
to  their  personal  worth. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  chance,  badly  served  by 
their  own  carelessness,  gives  only  partial  satis- 
faction, they  rise  in  denunciation  against  adverse 
fortune,  forgetting  all  former  favors. 

Like  the  indolent,  the  exacting  endure  with 
bad  grace  the  shackles  of  misfortune;  they  are 
unarmed  against  ill  luck,  and  their  equipment 
does  not  permit  them  to  foresee  it. 


LUCK   m   LIFE 


85 


Ag^edn,  we  see  superstitious  persons  so  intent 
upon  doing  away  with  the  idea  of  ill  luck  that 
they  will  not  pronounce  its  name.  With  them  it 
is  not  a  question  of  boldly  denying  it  and  assert- 
ing the  supremacy  of  will-power.  Nevertheless, 
this  very  silence  proclaims  their  fetishism. 

They  regard  ill  luck  as  a  dangerous  enemy 
that  should  be  allowed  to  sleep,  lest  upon 
awaking  it  should  fall  upon  the  blockhead  who 
roused  it  from  its  torpor. 

These  are  the  same  persons  who  do  not  permit 
themselves  to  be  felicitated  on  their  good  for- 
tune. If  some  one,  moved  by  the  best  inten- 
tions, addresses  them  in  such  simple  words  as, 
**I  congratulate  you  on  your  good  fortune," 
they  precipitate  themselves  upon  some  object  to 
conjure  away  the  bad  luck. 

Some  will  touch  wood  with  fervor  while  pro- 
nouncing this  formula  thrice:  "May  nothing 

happen." 

In  their  imagination  this  invocation  is  ad- 
drest  to  ill  luck,  which  is  exhorted  not  to  appear 
and  is  given  assurance  that  it  has  not  been  sum- 
moned. 

Some,  upon  hearing  the  word  guigne  (iU 
luck),  crack  their  fingers  and  utter  their  fam- 
iliar f etish^ 


m 


86 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Others  quickly  pull  a  hair  from  their  head. 

This  queer  action,  which  must  be  opportunely 
performed,  is  intended  to  appease  the  divinity 
by  offering  it  a  sacrifice.  The  one  incurring  the 
slightest  suffering  is  chosen  by  the  votary  of 
superstition  who  thinks  that  he  has  satisfied  the 
evil  deity  by  dedicating  to  it  this  infinitesimal 
pain. 

Another  obscure  idea  is  latent  in  this  uncouth 
act.  To  pull  out  a  hair,  to  make  a  sacrifice, 
slight  as  it  is,  in  the  name  of  the  divinity,  is  to 
show  it  honor  and  to  flatter  it  by  the  recognition 
of  its  power. 

In  all  fetishists  the  soul  of  ancient  paganism 
is  revived  in  its  completeness. 

"What  place  have  reason  and  self-control  in 
minds  wholly  occupied  with  the  rubbish  of 
superstitions  of  the  past? 

Such  a  narrow  one,  no  doubt,  that  these  two 
virtues  thus  cramped,  can  hardly  be  expected  to 
prolong  their  stay.  No  more  than  a  flying  visit 
can  be  expected  of  them. 

Such  persons,  along  with  the  indolent  and  the 
over-exacting,  usually  become  the  playthings  of 
the  terrible  thing  they  fear.  Their  plight,  more- 
over, is  made  worse  by  the  fact  that  they  are  im- 
potent to  withstand  the  blows  of  evil  destiny. 


If 


\t 


I 


LUCK    IN   LIFE 


87 


The  dull  of  mind,  while  putting  in  practise  a 
totally  oposite  system,  hardly  show  more  wis- 
dom in  their  conduct. 

I      They  go  right  ahead  without  reflecting,  re- 
! marking  to  themselves:  *'If  I  have  any  luck  I 
shall  succeed." 

Some  offer  the  remark  as  if  it  were  a  very 
sensible  one:  ''Provided  we  are  left  alone  by 
ill  luck  we  have  many  chances  of  success." 

It  is  patent  that,  no  matter  what  the  business 
and  howsoever  well  conducted,  one  should  al- 
ways take  into  consideration  the  unexpected 
which  may  possibly  appear  as  catastrophe. 

The  wise  never  fail  to  take  account  of  this 
possibility  and  to  adopt  all  necessary  precau- 
tions against  disaster — even  if  there  be  nothing 
in  the  present  that  seems  to  forbode  evil. 

But  the  dull  of  mind,  those  who  take  "chances 
promising  success,"  who  arc  always  ready  to 
celebrate  their  good  luck  and  rejoice  in  it  with- 
out perceiving  its  dangerous  aspects — these  with- 
out exception  will  become  the  prey  of  circum- 
stances for  which  they  have  been  responsible. 

"When  this  moment  comes  they  wiU  cry  out 
against  ill  luck,  accusing  it  of  all  the  mistakes 
which  in  reality  are  due  solely  to  their  own  im- 
prudence. 


I 


1 1 
il 


lAi 


88 


OPPORTUNITIES 


In  all  the  circnmstances  of  life  the  role  played 
by  luck  can,  with  a  few  exceptions,  be  regulated 
by  good  judgment. 

We  hear  every  day  some  such  phrase  as  this 
apropos  of  the  announcement  of  a  wedding: 
**  Marriage  is  a  lottery  in  which  one  must  have 
luck  in  order  to  draw  a  prize." 

To  understand  the  falseness  of  this  saying 
all  that  we  have  to  do  is  to  take  the  trouble  to 
observe  things. 

A  few  minutes  given  to  thinking,  based  on 
the  appeal  of  facts  of  which  we  are  the  daily 
witness  will  very  quickly  alter  this  appreciation. 

It  is  even  a  matter  of  necessity  to  refute  it 
since  it  threatens  the  future  happiness  of  young 
married  people,  who,  if  they  set  up  their  home 
with  the  idea  that  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
their  union  rests  merely  upon  chance,  will  make 
no  effort  to  attain  that  end  by  making  the 
mutual  sacrifices  that  marriage  demands. 

Mutual  study  of  character,  determinative  of 
concessions  that  must  be  made  on  the  part  of 
each,  will  seem  to  them  a  negligible  thing. 

What  is  the  use  of  taking  so  much  trouble? 
If  they  have  been  lucky  enough  to  draw  a  good 
number  they  can  be  happy  without  troubling 
themselves  about  all  that;  if  they  have  been  un- 


4 


LUCK   IN  LIFE 


89 


lucky  enough  to  draw  a  worthless  one,  what  can 
they  do?    Eegret  it,  that's  all. 

The  latter  is  the  case,  for  the  most  part,  with 
the  mismated ;  they  deplore  their  ill  luck,  with- 
out perceiving  that  they  increase  and  multiply 
the  subjects  of  discontent  in  giving  them  an  im- 
portance that  they  do  not  possess  in  reality. 
The  proverb  to  the  effect  that  **we  find  solace 
for  our  griefs  in  telling  them"  has  helped  to 
demoralize  more  than  it  has  consoled. 

The  fact  is  that  brooding  over  griefs  revives 
and  renews  them.  Also  must  be  taken  into  ac- 
count that  unconscious  exaggeration  which 
paints  things  in  the  blackest  colors  in  order  to 
excite  commiseration. 

The  expression,  **  he  has  lost  his  head,"  by  its 
naivete  describes  well  the  state  of  mind  of  the 
husband  who  yields  to  the  temptation  to  unbosom 

himself. 

If  his  troubles  do  not  sufficiently  impress  his 
confidant  he  will  not  hesitate  to  exaggerate 
them. 

For  the  most  part  he  is  not  entirely  lacking  in 
good  faith  either,  for  he  reasons  if  things  have 
not  passed  exactly  as  he  represents,  it  is  scarcely 
the  fault  of  the  culprit,  who  is  capable  of  all 
that  is  attributed  to  him. 


90 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Also  lie  does  not  hesitate  to  charge  to  his  ac- 
count all  the  sins  that  he  supposes  he  intended 
to  commit. 

All  this  takes  place  in  case  of  contradiction. 

In  case  the  complainer  finds  a  complaisant 
confidant,  things  are  represented  as  worse  than 

ever. 

The  lamenter  sees  his  griefe  magnified  by  his 
confidant's  indignation. 

He  swiftly  begins  to  reproach  himself  for 
not  putting  his  troubles  in  proper  relief. 

He  admires  his  own  patience,  and,  sustained 
by  vanity,  he  issues  from  the  scene  of  the  con- 
versation firmly  resolved  never  to  show  so  much 
indulgence  upon  a  future  occasion. 

How  many  faults  of  venial  nature  have,  for 
the  reasons  we  have  mentioned,  become  the 
ground  for  strife  and  final  separation. 

We  must  also  include  in  the  regrettable  re- 
sults brought  about  by  these  outpourings,  the 
factor  vanity,  one  of  the  most  powerful  agents 
of  disorder. 

There  are  numbers  of  married  pairs  who  re- 
main separated  because  they  do  not  dare  to  be 
reconciled  before  friends  to  whom  they  have 
confided  their  troubles. 

What  share,  then,  does  chance  take  in  all  thist 


LUCK   IN  LIFE 


91 


It  must  be  conf  est  that  it  is  a  very  slight  one, 
almost  nothing,  in  fact,  if  we  take  the  trouble 
to  reason  it  out. 

It  is  a  very  frequent  thing  to  see  a  pair  who 
have  been  divorced  because  of  supposed  frailties 
of  character  re-marry  and  live  perfectly  happy 

together. 
What  becomes  of  luck  in  these  cases? 

We  often  hear  this  plaint  from  a  husband  who 
has  been  divorced:  **Ah!  I  have  had  no  luck  in 
the  marriage  lottery." 

And  concerning  the  same  woman  one  hears 
this  from  the  lips  of  her  second  husband:  **It 
may  be  said  with  truth  that  I  have  been  lucky  in 
the  lottery  of  marriage." 

If  the  conditions  are  not  identical  the  idea  is 
the  same  ii  both  cases,  and  it  is  not  a  rare  thing 
to  see  the  second  spouse  vaunt  the  qualities  of 
the  woman  in  whom  the  first  partner  found  only 
the  opposite  defects. 

Are  we  to  conclude  from  this  that  a  change 
was  wrought  in  the  woman  in  such  a  short  time  i 

Is  it  not  more  rational  to  suppose  that  these 
excellent  traits  always  existed  in  her,  but  that 
it  was  not  given  to  her  first  husband  to  discover 

them? 
And  if  the  second  has  succeeded  in  doing  this 


92 


OPPORTUNITIES 


is  it  due  to  chance  or  to  his  powers  of  observa- 
tion and  his  knowledge  of  the  human  heart? 

We  have  said  enough,  I  think,  to  make  it 
plain  that  marriage  in  no  way  resembles  a  game 
of  chance.  Into  this  association,  involving  both 
body  and  soul,  there  is  scarcely  occasion  for 
chance  to  intrude. 

True,  the  married  are  not  more  shielded  than 
others  from  the  accidents  and  blows  of  fortune, 
but  their  harmonious  entente  gives  them  the 
strength  to  provide  against  them  if  they  can  not 
avert  them. 

Thus,  once  more,  ill  fortune  is  shown  to  be 
vanquished  by  reason  and  sane  guidance. 

Feeble  natures,  those  that  allow  themselves 
to  be  influenced  by  unfavorable  incidents,  those 
who  have  only  tears  to  oppose  to  the  assaults  of 
ill  luck,  will  always  find  themselves  excluded 
from  fortune's  favors. 

*'Two  women,"  says  an  Eastern  tale,  "once 
found  themselves  in  great  trouble 

**They  met  and  indulged  themselves  in  mu- 
tual confidences. 

"  *  Never,'  "  said  one,  'have  I  found  happiness 
in  my  journey;  never  has  it  deigned  to  smile 
upon  me.  I  have  never  seen  anything  but  the 
sinister  face  of  Borrow.* 


LUCK   IN   LIFE 


98 


**With  these  words  she  bent  over,  weeping, 
and  hid  her  face  in  a  fold  of  her  mantle. 

*^  *I  have  as  much  reason  to  complain  as  you,' 
said  the  second.  'I  have  never  seen  the  face  of 
joy,  but  I  have  often  met  misfortune  on  the 
road. 

*'  *  Nevertheless,'  she  added,  *I  do  not  give 
way  to  despair,  but  continue  on,  keeping  my 
eyes  open  and  ever  hoping  to  see  luck  rise  in  my 
path.' 

"The  other  replied  only  by  sobs. 

**Her  companion  continued:  'Come,  we  will 
resume  our  journey  together.  We  will  ask  of 
all  we  meet  whether  they  have  seen  happiness 
pass  by,  and  perchance  we  shall  find  it.  Take 
my  arm  and  we  will  go  forward  bravely.' 

"But  her  despairing  companion  contented  her- 
self with  burying  her  head  in  her  lap,  while  she 
redoubled  her  tears.  Whereupon  she  who  had 
been  speaking  merely  shrugged  her  shoulders, 
and,  calling  all  her  courage  and  will-power  to 
her  aid,  set  off  alone. 

"As  the  road  turned  she  glanced  back  at  hep 
unfortunate  companion,  and  saw  what  struck  her 
with  astonishment. 

"Before  the  object  of  human  wretchedness 
Happiness  was  passing.     For  one  moment  it 


94 


OPPORTUNITIES 


LUCK   IN   LIFE 


95 


paused  before  the  prostrate  woman,  then,  with 
a  glance  of  disdain,  passed  on. 

**The  eyes  of  the  woman  who  had  shown  such 
courage  were  fixt  in  fascination  upon  the  long 
dreamed-of  form.  She  advanced  straight  to- 
ward her.  Happiness  turned  and  looked  at  her, 
and,  arrested  by  the  power  of  that  glance,  made 
her  a  sign  to  approach." 

The  whole  history  of  fortune  is  epitomized  in 

this  tale. 

What  a  number  of  people  there  are  who  pre- 
tend that  fortune  has  never  had  part  in  their 
lives,  and  yet  these  very  persons  have  often  had 
the  goddess  within  arm's  length  without  making 
the  slightest  effort  to  accost  her. 

Some,  like  the  woman  in  the  story,  absorbed 
in  their  futile  sorrows,  are  unable  even  to  lift 
their  heads  to  look  around  them.  Others,  seeing 
the  wished-for  form  afar  off,  fail  to  recognize 
it;  while  others  still  lack  even  the  strength  to 

make  a  sij]^. 

Still  more  heap  curses  upon  the  divinity  be- 
cause she  seems  to  turn  aside  from,  or  abandon 
them.  They  do  not  know  the  virtue  of  waiting. 
Opportunity  is  always  passing  in  the  life  of  man. 
The  thing  to  do  is  to  keep  wide  awake  in  order 
to  recognize  and  take  advantage  of  it. 


If  we  subject  to  a  serious  analysis  the  lives  of 
those  who  style  themselves  the  victims  of  con- 
stant misfortune,  we  shall  find  that  they  have 
been  visited  by  fortune  many  times ;  but  because 
welcome  and  respect  were  lacking  the  visits  were 
brief  and  fruitless. 

How  many  persons  there  are  who  denounce  as 
misfortune  what  others  regard  as  happiness! 

The  question  of  relativity  is  a  most  important 
one  in  the  appraisements  of  those  who  complain 
of  their  lot. 

Sometimes  a  man  will  declare  himself  ruined ; 
yet  the  debris  of  his  possessions  would  mean 
wealth  for  some  one  less  exacting. 

The  figures  which  for  a  workman  would  rej)- 
resent  the  realization  of  a  life's  ambition,  would 
mean  a  sort  of  penury  for  a  man  used  to  wealth. 

In  order  that  we  may  appreciate  the  gifts  of 
fortune  we  must  not  demand  too  much  of  it. 

To  count  exclusively  upon  chance's  favors  in 
the  regulation  of  life  is  the  part  of  the  indolent 
and  the  fool. 

Luck  is  like  her  sister.  Fortune.  She  smiles 
on  the  daring,  but  loves,  above  all,  the  wise  and 
the  provident,  and  takes  up  her  home  with  them 
most  willingly. 

From  time  to  time  she  permits  herself  to 

VII.7 


96 


OPPORTUNITIES 


wander,  and  crosses  the  threshold  of  the  fool  or 
good-for-nothing,  but  has  hardly  alighted  before 
she  takes  sudden  flight,  put  to  rout  by  the  vices 
she  most  abhors. 


CHAPTER  Vn 

OPPORTUNITY    AND   FORTUNE    IN 
THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT   MEN 

It  is  customary  to  say  that  fortune  (luck  in 
ordinary  speech)  has  smiled  upon  the  great  men 
of  whom  history  tells  us. 

The  genesis  of  most  discoveries  we  are  told  is 
to  be  ascribed  to  chance. 

And  examples  are  cited. 

It  was  by  chance,  we  are  assured,  that  Newton 
was  able  to  find  a  relative  between  the  law  of 
universal  gravity  and  the  falling  of  an  apple. 

This  very  simple  phenomenon  was  for  him  the 
revelation  of  a  principle  which  had  magnificent 
results  for  learning,  and  whose  application  was 
to  be  of  vast  utility  to  man. 

If  we  take  the  trouble  to  think  for  a  moment 
we  shaU  perceive  that  if  the  falling  apple  had 
not  been  noticed  by  one  well-equipped  for  the 
study  of  the  problem,  nothing  unusual  would 
have  happened. 

Even  now,  when  the  anecdote  is  known  to  aU, 
we  see  apples  falling  every  day  in  the  orchard 

97 


1 

\ 

,5 


98 


OPPORTUNITIES 


without  having  onr  thoughts  drawn  to  the  law 
of  gravity,  which,  nevertheless,  is  being  actually 
illustrated  for  us. 

It  must  have  been,  then,  liiat  the  philosopher 
had  been  making  ready  for  this  chance  event 
by  long  study  and  constant  application. 

It  was  because  the  incident  of  the  falling  apple 
harmonized  with  his  meditations  upon  nature's 
mysteries  that  it  had  importance,  and  that  from 
this  ordinary  incident  came  a  ray  of  light  which 
furnished  the  solution  of  what  he  had  been 
seeking  for  so  long. 

It  has  often  been  told  how  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus v^as  upon  the  eve  of  making  his  great 
discovery  when  his  demoralized  crew  threatened 
to  mutiny. 

If  three  days  more  had  been  allowed  to  pass 
without  land  being  found  we  are  assured  that 
the  great  navigator  would  have  been  murdered 
by  the  sailors  who  were  eager  to  give  up  a  futile 
expedition  and  to  return  home. 

If  they  failed  in  their  aesign  it  was  because 
Columbus  begged  them  to  be  patient  for  a  few 
hours  more,  when  he  swore  that  he  would  show 
them  land. 

Before  the  time  expired  land  appeared  as  a 
line  of  blue  upon  the  horizon. 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN      99 

And  luck  is  the  conclusion. 

Not  at  all.  Luck  had  nothmg  to  do  with  it 
It  was  the  recompense  of  great  strength  of 
character  joined  to  brilliant  gifts  of  observation. 

When  Columbus  promised  his  companions 
that  they  should  see  land,  he  knew  that  it  could 
not  be  far  off  from  the  fact  that  he  had  noticed 
grass  floating  upon  the  waves. 

With  the  accuracy  of  judgment  that  character- 
izes all  his  acts  he  concluded  that  the  debris 
indicated  the  near  presence  of  vegetation. 

The  discovery  of  land,  then,  was  not  a  stroke 
of  luck  on  his  part,  but  rather  the  culmination 
of  heroic  efforts  accomplished  by  magnificent 
courage  and  power  of  observation,  which  are  at 
the  root  of  all  famous  achievements. 

What  we  call  luck  often  means  calmness  in 
seizing  opportunities. 

But  this  aptitude  involves  qualities  of  ob- 
servation whose  starting-point  is  strength  of 
character  and  of  will,  traits  which  permit  of 
the  coolness  and  clear-headedness  necessary  to 
the  successful  and  practical  discoverer. 

The  indolent  are  always  found  complaining 
of  their  ill  luck,  which  they  say  never  puts  an 
opportunity  within  their  reach. 
Those  who  are  determined    to    succeed  are 


If-:* 


100 


OPPORTUNITIES 


always  encountering  opportunities,  and  are  in 
the  habit  of  seizing  them  with  eagerness  and  of 
lying  in  wait  for  more. 

For  all  those  men  who  have  left  their  name  in 
history  will,  perseverance,  and  activity  of  miud 
have  been  the  generators  of  their  so-called  luck. 

Sometimes  those  who  do  not  possess  these 
qualities  find  themselves  face  to  face  with  op- 
portunity, but  they  seldom  perceive  it,  or,  at 
most,  get  little  profit  from  it,  for  they  do  not 
know  how  to  make  the  right  use  of  it. 

It  is  true  that  it  does  not  always  present  itself 
rounded  out  and  complete ;  it  is  not  always  the 
brilliant  butterfiy  which  lights  upon  the  hand 
of  those  it  singles  out,  filling  them  for  an  in- 
stant with  pleasure  by  its  splendid  appearance. 

It  is  more  frequently  a  larva  which  the  stupid 
and  the  ignorant  crush  under  foot  without  per- 
ceiving. 

The  indolent,  indeed,  sometimes  remark  it, 
but  they  recoil  before  the  effort  needed  to 
achieve  it. 

Before  making  the  attempt  they  resolve  in 
their  minds  the  long  time  required  for  develop- 
ment, the  risks  involved,  and  they  shrink  from 
the  series  of  acts  essential  for  the  desired  trans- 
formation. 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN     101 

They  like  to  persuade  themselves  that  their 
energies  will  be  superfluous,  that  they  will  rep- 
resent pure  loss,  and  they  console  themselves  for 
letting  opportunity  pass  by  with  these  words 
which  every  man  of  character  should  erase  from 
his  vocabulary:  "It  can  not  succeed.'' 

Excusing  inertia  results  in  aggravating  it  and 
rendering  it  habitual. 

Those  who  have  known  definitive  success  are 
those  who  have  never  doubted  success. 

We  may  wonder,  indeed,  how  they  have  es- 
caped discouragement  at  the  numerous  checks 
in  the  course  of  their  efforts  toward  success,  for 
as  we  know,  every  achievement  is  accompanied 
by  inconveniences  and  mistakes. 

Those  who  have  reached  the  goal  certainly 
have  not  been  exempt  from  these  trials ;  but  the 
latter  have  in  no  way  weakened  their  courage. 
Instead  of  charging  up  their  mistakes  to  the  ac- 
count of  some  shadowy,  inimical  being  called 
luck,,  they  examine  carefully  into  their  causes 
and  take  measures  to  provide  against  them  for 

the  future. 

If  those  whose  names  have  been  transmitted 
to  us  by  posterity  have  succeeded  in  acquiring 
fame  it  is  because  they  obeyed  the  laws  upon 
which  every  successful  achievement  rests. 


102 


OPPORTUNITIES 


They  first  examined  with  great  care  the  idea 
which  contained  the  germ  of  the  enterprise. 

They  thus  gained  a  careful  estimate  of  the 
possibilities  of  success  involved  in  the  achieve- 
ment. 

It  was  only  when  they  arrived  at  the  convic- 
tion of  possible  success  that  they  were  brought 
to  regard  the  enterprise  in  question  as  worthy  of 
their  serious  efforts. 

At  the  moment  of  favorable  decision  they  de- 
voted themselves  completely  to  the  project,  tak- 
ing into  consideration  the  slightest  details  bear- 
ing on  the  subject  and  drawing  profit  from  what- 
ever experience  has  taught. 

Should  it  astonish  us  if  one  out  of  all  these 
events  involved  in  the  undertaking  should  turn 
out  to  be  the  source  of  success?  Or  can  we, 
with  any  show  of  reason,  suppose  that  the  suc- 
cessful achievement  may  be  ascribed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  some  beneficent  entity  whose  potency 
is  paramount  to  all  the  qualities  which  we  have 
described  ? 

If  Jenner  had  not  kept  his  mind  centered  upon 
a  single  aspiration  we  should  be  ignorant  to-day 
of  the  benefits  of  vaccine. 

He  was  quite  young,  still  a  student,  when  one 
day  a  countrywoman  called  to  consult  him. 


il 


l> 


<> 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN     lOS 

The  heavy  fever  which  was  upon  her  caused 
the  future  physician  to  suspect  small-pox,  a 
cQsease  then  widespread. 

**It  is  impossible,"  said  she,  * 'because  I  have 
already  had  the  cow-sickness." 

Jenner  was  interested.  He  learned  that  in  this 
young  woman's  country  people  who  had  caught 
a  form  of  infection  from  the  cows  looked  on 
themselves  as  immune  from  the  disease.  There 
was  not  one  of  these,  she  told  him,  who  ever 
became  the  prey  of  the  small-pox. 

Jenner 's  attention  was  instantly  fixt  upon 
this  fact  of  observation,  neglected  by  others,  and 
he  set  himself  to  discover  what  truth  there  was 

in  it. 

One  may  see  in  the  visit  of  the  peasant  and 
her  exclamation  the  intervention  of  luck. 

Certainly,  it  was  a  chance  of  happy  import, 
but  had  not  this  very  chance  been  offered  be- 
fore to  physicians  who  had  neglected  their  op- 
portunity ? 

However  that  may  be,  strength  of  will  and 
perseverance  were  essential  for  developing  the 
possibilities  of  the  chance  event. 

We  will  not  record  here  the  years  spent  in 
observation,  the  years  of  struggle  that  marked 
the  career  and  final  triumph  of  the  scientist. 


i 


104 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Like  all  innoyators,  he  had  to  combat  rontine 
and  obscnrantism. 

But  in  his  case  the  opposition  encountered 
was  particularly  difficult  to  overcome,  since  it 
came,  not  from  the  public  only,  but  from  those 
charged  with  the  task  of  enlightening  it. 

Vaccination  was  stigmatized  from  the  pulpit 
iEUS  an  invention  of  the  devil. 

The  people,  amplifying,  according  to  custom, 
the  impression  received,  instantly  gave  credence 
to  the  most  uncouth  stories  about  the  discovery. 

Many  averred  that  the  newly  vaccinated  be- 
came marked  with  protuberances  on  the  fore- 
head, indicating  the  place  for  horns,  and  that 
their  voices  became  hoarse  like  the  lowing  of 
cows. 

Jenner  fought  twenty  years  to  imbue  the  mind 
of  his  contemporaries  with  the  conviction  which 
animated  him. 

When,  at  the  close  of  his  life,  he  received  his 
compensation  in  wealth  and  honors,  would  any 
one  have  the  hardihood  to  say  that  it  was  all 
done  through  luck? 

In  this  case  it  must  be  conf est  that  the  favored 
one  did  much  to  push  his  luck. 

Many  of  the  partizans  of  fetishism  have  uj)- 
held  Bernard  Palissy  as  an  example  of  what  luck 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN     105 

can  do  for  a  man.  The  artist's  house  was  almost 
reduced  to  debris  when  he  came  upon  the  dis- 
covery of  the  casting  of  enamel;  a  few  hours 
more,  and  the  great  artist,  up  to  his  ears  in  debt 
and  denuded  of  nearly  everything,  would  have 
been  overwhelmed  and  beyond  the  possibility  of 
making  further  efforts. 

Perhaps  in  his  case  it  is  true  that  luck  gave 
aid;  but  it  must  be  admitted  that  he  accom- 
plished the  impossible,  and  that  almost  any  one 
else  in  his  place  would  have  lost  courage  before 
well-deserved  opportunity  came  to  the  rescue. 

The  invention  of  porcelain  of  Saxony  might 
also  be  attributed  to  chance  by  the  superficial 
observer.  Yet  if  we  examine  into  the  history  of 
this  invention  we  shall  find  it  characterized  by 
a  sort  of  fury  of  application  and  perseverance. 

Boettcher  was  in  the  service  of  the  grand 
elector  of  Saxony,  who  hoped  to  obtain  from 
his  discoveries  a  method  of  transmuting  mate- 
rial. The  scientist  was  trying  to  find  out  how 
potter's  clay  could  be  transformed  into  porce- 
lain, and  applied  himself  to  a  study  of  the  re- 
quired composition,  but  without  entire  success. 

Some  vases  imported  from  China  which  he 
had  seen  inspired  him  with  a  desire  to  imitate 
the  art  of  the  Orientals. 


106 


OPPORTUNITIES 


He  set  to  work  eagerly  but  his  efforts  werei 
not  crowned  with  success,  and  he  had  begun 
to  despair  when  one  day,  noticing  that  his  pe- 
ruke felt  too  heavy,  he  bethought  himself  to 
examine  the  powder  that  it  was  covered  with. 

Kaolin  was  thus  discovered;  and  herein  was 
the  origin  of  the  production,  as  artistic  as  it  is 
remunerative,  of  the  magnificent  porcelains  of 
Saxony  which  are  immensely  admired. 

The  role  of  luck  is  here  confounded  with  that 
of  chance.  Nonetheless,  if  we  reflect  upon  the 
incident  we  shall  see  how  the  power  of  a  direct- 
ing thought  can  be  discerned  in  this  superb  re- 

^t. 

How  many  inventors,  less  sharp-witted  and 
industrious,  would  have  contented  themselves 
with  simply  shaking  the  powder  out  of  the  wig, 
without  ever  thinking  of  examining  it? 

Great  generals  have  no  more  been  spared  than 
others  by  fetishists,  who  have  hastened  to  put 
the  tag  of  luck  upon  them. 

There  are  to  be  found  many  people  who  hold 
that  Napoleon  counted  largely  on  luck  through- 
out his  life. 

It  is  certain  that  the  entrance  of  this  genius 
upon  the  scene  coincided  with  political  storms 
which  permitted  him  to  carve  out  for  himself 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN     107 

a  place  commensurate  with  his  greatness  in  a 
country  disorganized  by  the  Terror  and  invaded 
by  the  foreigner. 

Under  another  regime,  he,  perhaps,  would 
never  have  become  emperor,  but  he  would  have 
been  spared  the  Calvary  of  Saint  Helena. 

No  less  certain  is  it  that  if  Napoleon  had 
the  luck,  so  to  speak,  to  be  bom  in  an  age  in 
which  his  genius  could  have  full  career,  he  knew 
how  to  profit  by  this  luck  and  to  achieve  success 
of  an  incomparable  kind. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  find  a  more  striking 
example  of  strength  of  character  and  indomita- 
ble will.  By  constructing  the  road  of  the  Sim- 
plon,  he  literally  conquered  the  Alps. 

He  pretended  that  he  had  erased  the  word 
''impossible"  from  the  French  dictionary;  and 
all  his  pretensions  had  the  vindication  of  being 
transformed  into  facts. 

His  life  furnishes  the  refutation  of  super- 
stitious belief  in  an  obscure  power  acting  in 
ignorance  of  us  and  directing  our  acts. 

His  contemporaries  called  him  not  *'the  glori- 
ous," but  *'the  organizer  of  glory." 

His  power  of  willing,  radiated,  as  it  were, 
from  hinn  and  transformed  uncertainties  into 
facts. 


108 


OPPORTUNITIES 


if 
I 


For  tlie  simple-minded  this  man,  who  seems 
the  elect  of  Fortune,  has  become  an  actual  fe- 
tish ;  his  story  electrifies  them  and  prompts  them 

to  heroic  acts. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  find  a  more  striking 
example  of  sustained  power  of  will  and  coher- 

ence  of  ideas. 

In  another  order  of  ideas  we  find  attracting 
our  notice  the  celebrated  explorer,  Livingstone, 
who  began  his  career  as  a  workman  in  a  Glas- 
gow cotton-mill. 

The  unenterprising  will  be  inclined  to  declare 
that  it  was  pure  luck  that  gave  Livingstone  his 
opportunity  for  fame.  But  do  they  realize  how 
hard  it  was  to  deserve  this  luck? 

Without  neglecting  his  work  he  educated  him- 
self by  his  own  efforts,  saving  enough  out  of  his 
wages  to  buy  the  necessary  books. 

It  was  thus  that  he  made  his  studies  in  medi- 
cine and  won  his  degree  as  licentiate. 

We  will  not  speak  of  his  life,  wholly  devoted 
as  it  was  to  enterprises  full  of  danger;  but  in 
the  appreciation  of  the  fame  which  he  won  it 
will  be  freely  granted  that  his  personal  worth 
weighed  equally  in  the  scale  with  fortune. 

One  might  fill  volumes  with  authentic  bio- 
graphies of  those  to  whom  has  come,  unperceived 


IN  THE  LIVES  OF  GREAT  MEN     109 

and  unused,  fortune  in  the  form  of  chance  op- 
portunities. But  it  is  only  the  subtle  and  the 
gifted  who  have  known  how  to  seize  and  put 
to  advantage  those  opportunities  which,  taking 
root  in  fertile  brains,  sometimes  arrive  at  such 
magnificent  fruition. 

Would  the  same  things  have  happened  if 
these  opportunities  had  appeared  in  the  lives  of 
the  indolent? 

We  certainly  have  the  right  to  afl&rm  the  con- 
trary, for  we  know  well  that  fortune,  in  what- 
ever guise  it  may  choose  to  appear,  always  ig- 
nores those  who  do  not  know  how  to  put  it  to 
good  use. 


A 


CHAPTER  VIII 


HOW    TO    CONQUER    FORTUNE 

We  have  proved  sufficiently,  I  think,  that 
what  is  called  luck  or  good  fortune  is  not  as 
fortuitous  in  character  as  fetishists  proclaim  it 

to  he. 

If  it  he  not  always  possible  to  hasten  its  ap- 
pearance, it  is  beyond  doubt  that  one  need  never 
despair,  for  it  never  fails  to  give  itself  up  to 
the  eager  solicitation  of  the  one  who  knows  how 

to  attract  it.  .    . 

To  experience  its  good  effects,  however,  it  is 
not  merely  a  question  of  recognizing  it  the  mo- 
ment  it  appears  and  being  in  readiness  to  re- 
ceive its  favors. 

The  feeble  and  the  impotent  also  do  this. 

Persons  of  strong  character  know  how  to 
arrest  it,  to  bend  it  to  their  will,  in  a  word  to 

subjugate  it.  .  i.  x  -^ 

These  are  not  the  slaves  of  fortune,  but  it8 

masters.  . 

The  most  efficacious  means  of  conquering  tot- 

110 


HOW   TO   CONQUER   FORTUNE    111 

tune  have  two  essential  divisions:  moral  quali- 
ties and  physical  influences. 

The  moral  qualities  may  be  thus  denommated: 
alertness  of  comprehension,  discernment,  de- 
cision, knowledge  of  moral  and  material  values, 
patience,  initiative,  and  activity,  whether  ef- 
fective or  latent. 

Alertness  of  comprehension  is  an  indispensa- 
•  ble  quality  for  the  proper  estimating  of  the  im- 
portance and  range  of  an  event  as  representing, 
determining,  or  engendering  opportunity. 

As  will  be  easily  recalled  by  glancing  at  the 
preceding  chapters,  good  fortune  or  opportu- 
nity  rarely  presents  itself  to  us  under  the  as. 
pect  of  complete  success. 

At  times  it  is  hard  enough  to  recognize  it,  and 
it  requires  great  alertness  of  mind  to  handle 
properly  an  event  which  can  only  be  regarded 
as  fortunate  or  opportune,  provided  we  can 
bring  it  into  the  right  relationship  with  the  ob- 
ject that  it  is  our  desire  to  accomplish. 

Alertness  of  mind  gives  the  immediate  repre- 
sentation of  the  advantages  resulting  from  a 
fact  which,  in  the  case  of  those  not  so  weU 
equipped,  would  not  be  noticed. 

It  is  by  neglecting  slight  details,  the  import- 
ance of  which  seems  to  them  but  secondary,  that 

V1I.8 


112 


OPPORTUNITIES 


the  unintelligent  or  the  nonchalant  miss  culti- 
vating the  seed  that  contains  in  germ  the  series 
of  lucky  chances  that  we  call  fortune. 

Sometimes  fortune  presents  itself  in  an  un- 
accustomed guise  or  shows  us  several  aspects  of 
itself,  leaving  to  us  the  task  of  discovering  the 
right  one. 

Here  discernment  comes  into  play. 

Discernment  is  the  act  of  choosing  a  deter- 
mined line  of  action,  the  preference  being  based 
on  good  judgment. 

Those  who  have  power  of  discernment  dis- 
card without  hesitation  doubtful  chances  and 
center  their  efforts  upon  the  ones  that  seem  to 
contain  the  promise  of  realizing  the  object  of 
their  pursuit. 

This  choice,  however,  should  in  nearly  all 
cases  be  the  object  of  rapid  decision,  for  lack 
of  preciseness  is  the  enemy  of  success. 

Floating  resolutions  nearly  always  meet  with 
some  check. 

The  man  who  can  not  reach  a  decision,  how- 
ever imperfect,  who  is  always  sketching  out  a 
plan  which  he  abandons  directly  for  another, 
will  never  know  success. 

If  we  have  made  allusion  to  resolutions  of  im- 
perfect character  it  is  because  there  are  vei^yr 


If-' 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  US 

few  such  that  do  not  involve  inconvenient 
features. 

For  thinkers  the  happiest  solution  always  in- 
cludes some  risk,  and  even  the  germ  of  danger. 

Those,  however,  who  are  practised  in  prompt 
resolution  can  make  a  rapid  calculation  of  the 
sum  of  advantages  and  diflSculties;  a  simple 
mental  subtraction  will  suffice  to  dictate  their 
decision  which  once  taken  must  be  stoutly  main- 
tained in  face  of  all  circumstances. 

In  the  cerebral  operation  which  precedes  the 
decision,  as  well  as  in  the  acts  which  affirm  it, 
knowledge  of  values  is  of  paramount  import- 
ance. 

In  the  attainment  of  all  good  things  the  ques- 
tion of  relativity  plays  the  chief  role. 

It  is  only  in  rating  things  at  their  true  value 
that  it  is  possible  to  assign  to  them  a  rank  among 
the  favorable  possibilities,  which  possibilities 
must  always  outnumber  the  doubtful  chances. 

It  is  only  in  studying  the  coincidences  and 
relations  of  things  that  it  is  possible  to  estimate 
them  at  their  proper  value.  What  is  very  de- 
sirable for  some  things  is  negligible  for  others. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  things  ordinarily 
of  no  account,  which  under  certain  circumstances 
take  on  paramount  importance  and  become  the 


n 


114 


OPPORTUNITIES 


starting-point  of  success,  altho  they  are  regarded 
by  the  profane  as  mere  strokes  of  luck. 

To  the  knowledge  of  moral  values  it  is  in- 
dispensable that  we  conjoin  the  knowledge  of 
material  values. 

Above  all,  money  should  be  made  the  object 
of  a  sensible  study,  to  which  should  be  brought 
whatever  aid  reason  and  conversation  can 
supply. 

The  science  of  economy  is  the  most  powerful 
auxiliary  of  luck. 

To  know  the  value  of  money,  in  the  sense  that 
this  makes  it  possible  to  obtain  it,  has*  been  the 
starting-point  of  all  the  undertakings  which 
have  been  regarded  as  favored  by  fortune. 

Knowledge  of  the  value  of  money  is  produc- 
tive of  independence;  it  is  the  secret  of  that 
serenity  of  mind  which  is  essential  to  all  success. 

Secure  possession  of  a  competence  prevents  the 
possibility  of  financial  embarrassment  with  all 
its  attendant  evils ;  it  frees  the  mind  from  petty 
cares  whose  multiplicity  saps  the  founts  of  in- 
telligence; it  banishes  discouragement  and  fore- 
stalls the  wilfulness  that  comes  of  rebellion. 

It  is  not,  of  course,  our  intention  to  praise 
parsimony.  To  amass  money  in  order  to  satisfy 
the  desires  of  avarice  is  vile  and  futile ;  but  to 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  115 

save  in  order  to  provide  against  the  exigencies 
of  the  future  is  a  sign  of  strength  of  character, 
which  backs  up  pride  with  providence. 

Fortune  seldom  smiles  on  the  prodigal  (except 
perhaps  in  an  intermittent  fashion),  for  she 
knows  well  that  her  favors  will  be  wasted  in 
useless  dissipation. 

These  are  seen  to  implore  vainly  the  return 
of  the  divinity  who,  tho  she  had  the  weakness 
to  just  touch  them,  quickly  took  to  flight  at 
sight  of  their  conduct. 

What  success,  indeed,  can  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected by  a  prodigal  who  through  imprudence 
finds  himself  outmatched  in  the  race,  whether 
impotent  to  fulfil  his  engagements  or  handi- 
capped by  debt? 

How  can  he  pretend  to  dictate  to  others  who 
must  needs  seek  support  himself? 

Economy,  rightly  understood,  has  been  known 
to  be  the  starting-point  of  many  successful  ven- 
tures; it  is  also  the  secret  of  many  successes 
which  are  attributed  to  chance  alone.  It  as- 
suredly is  the  certain  means  of  holding  success 
captive,  for  the  consciousness  of  material  in- 
dependence gives  to  its  possessors  a  clearness  of 
judgment  that  can  not  be  enjoyed  by  those 
harassed  by  material  cares. 


116 


OPPORTUNITIES 


It  we  can  not  find  canse  for  saving  in  reason 
we  ought  to  be  able  to  find  it  in  pride. 

Luck  loves  not  the  humble,  and,  like  its  sister 
Fortune,  it  has  a  weakness  for  the  audacious 
who  never  yield  to  the  wretched  compromises  to 
which  want  of  money  impels  the  loose-living  and 
the  prodigal. 

Knowledge  of  values  concerns  more  than  mere 
money  and  the  relations  of  things,  it  also  bears 
very  largely  upon  the  question  of  the  value  of 
time. 

Time  in  the  sense  that  it  can  not  be  replaced 
may  be  regarded  as  more  valuable  than  money 
itself. 

He  who  fritters  away  his  time  in  doing  useless 
things  or  who  lets  the  hours  pass  in  inaction  is  as 
much  a  fool  as  one  who  refining  gold  in  the  bed 
of  a  river  should  let  precious  gold  dust  filter 
through  the  sieve. 

He  may  indeed  get  back  precious  particles 
thus  lost,  but  those  which  have  been  caught  in 
the  current  he  can  never  hope  to  recover. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  moments  we  squander ; 
the  current  of  life  bears  them  away  and  they 
vanish  without  leaving  any  trace  of  their  pres- 
ence. 

Contempt  of  the  value  of  time  brings  also  in 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  117 

its  train  inexactitude;  now  luck  does  not  like 
waiting. 

It  does  not  like  to  be  first  at  the  rendezvous; 
and,  finding  no  one  there,  it  leaves  straightway. 

Punctuality  is  the  homage  it  prefers,  and  it 
rarely  returns  to  the  rendezvous  where  it  has 
met  disappointment. 

Time  is  the  only  form  of  wealth  that  can  be 
parcelled  out  equally  to  all ;  some  there  are  who 
squander  their  treasure  without  profit  to  them- 
selves or  others. 

Certain  persons,  on  the  contrary,  understand 
the  importance  of  the  capital  that  has  been  en- 
trusted to  them,  and  they  act  the  same  with  time 
as  with  money;  they  never  invest  it  except  at 
good  interest. 

If  it  be  impossible  for  them  to  invest  it  liter- 
ally, they  capitalize  what  it  represents;  each 
hour  is  devoted  to  some  useful  work  and  they 
regain  the  time  spent  in  the  form  of  some 
achievement. 

The  indolent,  laggards,  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  idle  pursuits  hardly  ever  encounter  op- 
portunity, for  the  reason  that  they  neglect  to 
keep  their  appointment  with  it. 

It  is  in  vacant  hours  that  ill  luck  finds  its  ad- 
vantage; useful,  healthful  occupations  frighten 


'" 


118 


OPPORTUNITIES 


it  away,  for  it  does  not  tarry  among  the  active. 

Ill  luck  also  haunts  the  impatient,  who  do  not 
know  how  to  wait  for  success.  For  to  win  it  is 
not  enough  to  put  in  action  the  qualities  we  have 
named;  it  is  also  essential  to  arm  oneself  with 
patience  in  order  to  await  their  happy  results. 

For  those  who  have  toiled  confidently  and 
who,  having  promptly  discovered  the  fact  bear- 
ing the  germs  of  success,  have  employed  all  the 
means  for  its  development,  there  remains  a  for- 
midable danger — impatience. 

In  trying  to  hasten  the  event  they  compro- 
mise the  result  and  render  futile  all  preceding 
effort. 

More  strength  of  mind  is  needed  for  awaiting 
with  calmness  a  hoped-for  result  than  would  be 
required  for  the  several  steps  of  the  enterprise 
itself. 

Expectancy  is  strength,  while  useless  agitation 
is  a  source  of  weakness. 

It  is  essential  that  we  discern  the  dangers  of 
a  given  act  which,  in  certain  cases,  may  be  at- 
tenuated by  a  wise  use  of  moderation  and  pru- 
dence— ^virtues  all  the  more  meritorious  because 
they  are  those  of  the  spectator  of  the  events. 

Satisfactions  of  too  precocious  a  nature  too 
often  mar  the  future. 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  119 

It  is  the  part  of  discernment  to  know  the 
attitude  imposed  by  circumstances. 

At  times  it  is  necessary  to  consummate  an 
act  of  audacity,  but  long  patience  and  the  science 
of  opportune  expectancy  are  always  essential 
factors  in  the  problem. 

For  the  rest,  it  is  futile  to  say  that  by  the 
word  expectancy  we  merely  mean  the  repression 
of  headstrong  volition,  for  he  who  knows  how 
to  find  opportunity  and  profit  by  it  never  re- 
maiQS  completely  inactive. 

His  apparent  leisure  veils  an  inner  energy 
and  unity  of  aspiration  which  go  to  strengthen 
the  salient  traits-— alertness  of  understanding 
and  appreciation  of  values. 

This  momentary  arrest  of  action  may  even  be 
fruitful  of  opportunity  for  the  reason  that  it 
permits  of  concentration,  a  trait  not  always 
within  the  scope  of  action. 

Contemplation  of  the  idea,  providing,  as  it 
does,  isolation  from  outward  things,  favors  re- 
flection and  makes  visible  faults  not  easily  per- 
ceived in  the  tumult  of  action. 

It  also  keeps  our  thoughts  from  being  scat- 
tered, and  while  guiding  them  to  safety  it  pre- 
vents the  interference  of  parasitical  ideas  which 
are  always  of  derogatory  nature. 


i 


120 


OPPORTUNITIES 


Finally,  expectancy  permits  of  collecting  and 
deploying  new  forces  for  the  purpose  of  enter- 
ing the  struggle  whose  prize  is  fortune. 

Hardly  less  important  in  this  connection  are 
physical  influences  which  have  a  certain  reper- 
cussion on  the  moral  nature. 

And  above  all  else  in  importance  must  be  set 
the  influence  of  words. 

No  one  is  ignorant  of  the  striking  effect  which 
is  produced  by  the  enumeration  of  certain  words 
of  evocative  character. 

Repeating  words  suggestive  of  confidence  is 
a  sure  way  of  calling  forth  that  sentiment. 

There  arises  from  vocables  frequently  repeat- 
ed a  suggestiveness  that  it  would  be  foolish  to 
deny. 

The  remark,  "I  will  succeed,"  made  oppor- 
tunely, and  marking  invincible  conviction,  will 
strengthen  resolution  and  make  straight  the  way 
for  the  much-desired  visit  of  fortune. 

All-powerful  is  the  magic  of  words. 

Some  words  awaken  in  us  feelings  of  patriot- 
ism, others  set  in  vibration  the  chords  of  senti- 
ment, others  fill  the  soul  with  bitterness. 

This  is  why  those  who  would  woo  success 
ought  never  to  pronounce,  even  mentally,  words 
of  doubt. 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  121 

On  the  contrary,  they  should  give  utterance 
to  words  suggestive  of  what  they  desire.  They 
should  refuse  to  give  way  to  protestations 
against  mischance,  and  instead  of  saying  blunt- 
ly, **I  have  bad  luck,"  they  ought  to  put  it  this 
way:  **My  luck  has  not  yet  arrived,  hut  it  will 
come  and  can  not  help  coming,'' 

This  sort  of  courage  has  a  reassuring  effect 
upon  the  mind  and  tends  to  renew  its  ardor  for 
the  coming  struggle. 

The  impression  produced  by  external  things  is 
also  an  important  factor  in  success. 

The  unlovely  character  of  the  age  we  live  in 
can  not  fail  to  shed  over  our  lives  the  dull  tints 
ol  melancholy  and  doubt. 

The  potency  of  atmosphere  and  of  color  is  so 
real  that  we  currently  associate  a  given  state  of 
mind  with  the  nuance  that  awakens  an  analogous 
feeling. 

We  say:  "I  see  life  in  rose  colors,"  or  **I  see 
life  in  black,"  according  to  the  nature  of  our 
hopes  and  aspirations. 

There  is  even  such  a  thing  as  a  concordance 
of  colors  and  sentiments:  **To  live  in  the  sky" 
(etre  en  hleu)  signifies  happiness  of  sentimental 
nature. 

By  the  "white  and  black"  of  existence  is 


I 


'hii 


132 


OPPORTUNITIES 


meant  life  without  relief,  whose  monotony  is  un- 
tinted  with  any  definite  joy. 

**To  grind  in  black"  {fir oyer  du  noir)  is  an 
expression  indicative  of  despair. 

A  common  expression  applied  to  one  who  has 
given  way  to  some  tragic  act  is:  **He  sees  red." 

Finally,  white  is  the  color  which  synthesizes 
all  the  ideas  of  innocence  and  purity. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  the  part  of  temerity  to 
conclude  that  the  aspect  of  surrounding  things 
exercises  an  influence  upon  the  moral  nature 
even  to  the  point  of  determining  to  some  extent 
its  manifestations. 

Those  who  would  take  luck  captive  ought 
therefore  to  enliven  their  homes  and  make  them 
as  attractive  as  possible. 

Mischance  seldom  haunts  thresholds  adorned 
with  flowers  or  homes  that  re-echo  to  the  sound 
of  laughter. 

In  default  of  joyousness  that  circumstances 
will  not  always  permit  of,  a  tranquil  serenity 
will  keep  off  the  unwelcome  visitor  more  effec- 
tively than  any  exorcism  can. 

The  would-be  conqueror  of  fortune  must  not 
forget  that  slavery,  when  made  too  hard  to  en- 
dure, always  verges  on  rebellion. 

It  is  only  by  first  sounding  for  it,  then  bring- 


HOW  TO  CONQUER  FORTUNE  12S 

ing  it  to  light,  and  finally  acclimatizing  it  that 
we  can  hope  to  obtain  final  possession  of  it. 

The  time  is  then  ripe  for  us  to  act  as  master. 

To  dominate  circumstances,  to  guide  the  course 
of  chance,  to  foresee  its  caprices  and  obtain  some 
of  its  smiles— all  this  is  directed  toward  the  con- 
quest  of  fortune. 

To  conquer  fortune  means  to  put  a  bit  upon 
capricious  fate,  to  direct  events  and  correct  des- 
tiny, which,  in  spite  of  all  the  fetishists  pretend, 
is  apt  to  bend  to  the  commands  of  him  whom  it 
recognizes  as  master. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FORTUNE'S  FLUCTUATIONS 

Fortune  was  represented  by  the  ancients 
under  the  symbol  of  a  blind  woman  lightly  turn- 
ing a  wheel  with  her  foot. 

The  intention  was  to  indicate  the  role  of 
chance  by  the  sudden  starting  and  pausing  of 
the  wheel. 

It  used  to  be  said  of  him  who  could  succeed 
in  stopping  this  eternal  fugitive,  that  **he  had 
put  a  nail  in  the  wheel  of  Fortune'';  which  was 
equivalent  to  saying  that  he  had  made  it  so  that 
it  would  no  longer  turn,  thus  preventing  its 
further  progress. 

An  analogous  metaphor  was  used  in  reference 
to  any  one  who  had  been  clever  enough  to  arrest 
the  course  of  the  inconstant  deity.    Of  such  a 
•  one  it  was  said,  ''he  has  shackled  fortune." 

It  is  sufficiently  evident  from  folk-lore  and 
from  the  wisdom  of  nations  as  it  is  summed  up 
in  proverbs  that  belief  in  a  fluctuating  fortune 
has  always  existed  with  differences  of  degree 
and  kind;  this  varying  lot  assigned  to  mortals 

124 


FORTUNE'S   FLUCTUATIONS     U5 

has  been  known  under  the  names  of  Fortune, 
Chance,  and  in  recent  times  Luck  {la  Veine). 

Certain  writers  find  a  more  exact  illustration 
of  the  last  by  comparing  it  to  the  undulations 
of  the  sea  which,  tho  irregular,  are  of  certain 
character. 

Luck  they  aver  has,  like  the  ocean,  incessant 
waves  which  advance  toward  and  recede  from 
the  shore. 

Now  there  are  some  who  can  never  manage  to 
be  upon  the  scene  at  flood  tide;  they  lose  pa- 
tience while  waiting  for  the  tide  to  come  in,  and 
they  leave  before  high-water  mark  is  reached. 
Their  arrival  is  always  wrongly  timed. 

These  people  are  all  ready  to  swear  that  the 
sea  has  never  washed  the  shores  they  inhabit, 
and  they  envy  their  neighbors  who  are  lucky 
enough  to  be  able  to  sport  among  the  waves  with 
the  solid  sand  for  a  bottom. 

Have  we  not  here  an  image  of  those  who  waste 
their  time  in  complaining  and  are  wont  to  de- 
clare without  perceiving  the  absurdity  of  it: 
'*I  have  never  met  with  any  luck,"  or  "  I  have 
been  pursued  all  my  life  by  ill  luck." 

Misfortune  on  such  a  scale  as  this  has  never 
existed,  and  if  it  were  possible  to  piece  together 
the  whole  life  of  these  minions  of  ill  luck  it 


1S6 


OPPORTUNITIES 


would  be  found  that  with  half  of  their  luck  a 
man  of  any  cleverness  might  amass  a  fortune. 

Their  name  is  legion  who  do  not  know  the 
favorable  moment  to  put  their  boat  to  sea  with 
the  certainty  of  returning  with  their  nets  full. 

Can  they  in  good  faith  accuse  fate  if  they  have 
failed  to  rise  with  the  dawn  and  put  to  good  use 
the  propitious  hours  of  mcmiii| 

All  those  who  give  way  to  plaints  about  their 
persistent  had  luck  resemble  those  lazy  fisher- 
men. 

They  lie  unconsciously,  and  yet  their  lie  is 
actual  when  they  maintain  liiat  they  have  never 
known  opportunity. 

No  life  is  entirely  devoid  of  joy,  and  there  is 
no  one  who  at  some  time  or  other  has  not  been 
visited  by  prosperity. 

It  is  simply  a  question  of  imitating  the  fisher- 
man by  waiting  for  the  right  moment  to  embark 
—that  moment  when  the  wind  is  calmest  and  all 
promises  security.  Next  must  come  axstivity, 
disoemment,  and  patience,  all  concurring  in  the 
success  of  the  enterprise. 

On  some  days  the  catdi  is  certain  to  be  po«r; 
on  others  the  small  fry  will  exceed  the  take  of 
large  fish ;  but  the  day  will  come  when  the  fish- 
ermen will  return  triumphant,  their  boat  filled 


FORTUNE'S    FLUCTUATIONS     12T 

to  overflowing  and  their  families'  welfare  thus 
assured. 

Luck  and  ill  luck,  in  most  lives,  when  weighed 
in  the  scale  should  about  balance  each  other. 
What  each  one  must  do  is  to  cooperate  with  the 
first  and  try  to  parry  the  blows  of  the  second. 

It  is  well  to  recall  here  the  parable  of  the  fat 
and  lean  cows,  and  to  fill  the  bin  while  the  luck 
is  in  the  ascendant  in  order  to  provide  against 
a  rainy  day. 

Sometimes  it  happens  that  luck  comes  in  the 
wake  of  ill  luck,  connecting  it  and,  as  it  were, 
bringing  good  out  of  evil. 

A  very  old  man,  who  had  no  near  relations  left, 
resolved  to  make  a  will  in  favor  of  the  son  of 
one  of  his  friends  whose  good  qualities  had  at- 
tracted him. 

Finding  himself  unwell,  he  besought  the 
young  man  to  have  his  lawyer  come  next  day 
in  order  that  he  might  make  an  absolutely  safe 
will. 

The  state  of  mind  of  the  expectant  heir  may 
be  imagined,  when  upon  presenting  himself  with 
the  legal  official  on  his  arm  at  his  friend's  door 
he  was  met  by  a  surly  relative  who  apprized  him 
that  the  man  who  intended  to  enrich  him  had 
died  suddenly. 

VII.9 


128 


OPPORTUNITIES 


The  law  not  taking  an  account  of  an  intention, 
however  formal,  the  would-be  heir  must  needs 
retrace  his  steps,  a  prey  to  a  double  sorrow — 
his  friend's  death  and  his  own  cruel  disappoint- 
ment. 

Without  question  we  may  consider  this  man  a 
veritable  victim  of  bad  luck,  and  it  is  certain  that 
most  persons  in  his  position  would  have  given 
way  under  the  terrible  blow. 

But  this  particular  young  man  was  full  of 
energy;  renouncing  at  once  all  the  caressing 
hopes  that  had  lured  him  he  set  out  forthwith 
for  the  gold  country. 

The  fortune  which  he  had  been  robbed  of  he 
refound  in  the  form  of  a  vein  of  gold,  and  in- 
spired by  the  principles  which  we  have  been 
inculcating,  he  set  to  work  to  make  the  best  of 
his  find. 

After  a  number  of  years  of  hard  labor  in- 
telligently pursued,  he  returned  to  his  country 
a  rich  man,  owing  his  fortune  to  himself  alone. 

All  this  time  the  heirs  who  had  supplanted 
him  having  received  their  inheritance,  the 
greater  part  of  which  consisted  of  vineyards, 
were  called  on  to  face  a  disastrous  loss  caused 
by  the  plague  called  phylloxera. 

The  wealth  they  had  received  from  the  dead 


FORTUNE'S   FLUCTUATIONS     129 

man,  and  their  own  possessions  as  well,  were  en- 
tirely eaten  up. 

The  wine-stock  devastated  by  the  plague  was 
worthless,  and  when  the  traveler  returned  to 
his  native  place  he  found  the  heirs  ruined. 

When  he  saw  what  had  happened  he  actually 
felt  gratitude  for  the  ill  luck  which  had  reUeved 
him  of  au  illusory  fortune  and  put  him  in  the 
way  of  gaining  a  real  one. 

If  what  he  regarded  as  ill  luck  of  the  most 
lugubrious  kind  had  not  come  to  him,  if  death 
had  not  intervened  to  prevent  the  generous  im- 
pulse of  the  testator,  he  would  now  be  ruined, 
and  at  the  age  when  attempts  that  require  dar- 
ing are  no  longer  possible. 

Daily  we  see  examples  of  these  disastrous 
chances  which  seem  to  deserve  the  name  of  real 
luck  and  yet  arefraughtwith  consequences  of  evil. 
A  wretched  woman  holding  her  child  by  the 
hand  is  run  down  by  an  automobile  and  cruelly 
injured.  This  misfortune,  nevertheless,  becomes 
the  starting-point  of  prosperity  for  these  poor 
people.    The  owner  of  the  car  happens  to  be  a 
conscientious  man.    He  cares  for  the  victims 
of  the  accident  and,  attracted  by  the  child,  he 
provides  for  it  and  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
family. 


180 


OPPORTUNITIES 


A  certain  famous  painter  owed  his  success  to 
the  ruin  of  his  family  who,  while  they  had  their 
little  competence,  forbade  him  to  occupy  him- 
self with  what  they  called  a  futile  art,  their  de- 
sire being  that  he  should  become  an  employee 
in  the  public  service. 

The  list  would  be  interminable  if  we  tried 
to  cite  all  the  cases  in  which  good  fortune  showed 
itself  in  the  form  of  mischance. 

Even  the  weak  do  not  fail,  under  certain  cir- 
cumstances, to  derive  advantage  from  misfor- 
tune. 

They  represent  ill  fortune  under  the  linea- 
ments of  an  evil  personality  whose  sole  occupa- 
tion is  to  make  them  suffer. 

And  the  worst  of  it  is  they  are  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  this  theory. 

They  declare  themselves  subject  to  some  male- 
diction and  proclaim  the  vanity  of  their  under- 
takings. 

Certain  careless  individuals  wishing  to  find 
some  excuse  for  their  laziness  feign  to  believe 
in  fate.  Luck  will  come  some  time,  they  aver, 
and  that  time  will  be  when  it  pleases.  And  if 
it  is  ill  luck  that  comes  instead,  what  is  the  use 
of  making  any  effort  when  everything  is  de- 
termined in  advance? 


FORTUNE'S   FLUCTUATIONS     131 

This  process  of  reasoning  seems  to  excuse 
their  nullity  of  will,  and  they  like  to  repeat  the 
well-known  line: 


<'He  gives  the  little  birds  their  food. 


ff 


But  the  observing,  while  respecting  the  noble 
sentiment  of  the  great  poet,  do  not  fail  to  re- 
mark that  the  birds  always  meet  with  disaster 
unless  the  parent  birds  provide  for  the  wants 
of  their  young. 

And  they  conclude  that  it  is  well  to  cooperate 
with  Providencewhether  it  be  represented  under 
the  aspect  of  the  divine  or  that  of  chance. 

Also  it  is  the  part  of  the  sensible  to  seize  upon 
chance  instead  of  sinking  into  apathy  which 
finds  its  account  in  calumniating  fortune  in- 
stead of  profiting  by  it. 

Neither  should  those  be  imitated  who  reproach 
the  beneficent  divinity  for  failing  to  respond 
to  their  whims  and  leaving  them  in  the  lurch 
at  the  critical  moment. 

Such  as  these  will  never  be  present  when  the 
tide  is  at  the  flood.  They  are  fated  never  to  em- 
bark upon  successful  expeditions,  and  they  will 
round  out  their  days  in  rancor  and  regret. 

Sensible  men,  on  the  contrary,  who  despise 
indolence  and  do  everything  with  some  object 


1S2 


OPPORTUNITIES 


in  view,  arm  themselves  according  to  circnm- 
stances  with  energy,  patience,  mildness  and 
strength. 

Full  of  that  faith  of  which  it  has  been  said 
that  it  moves  mountains,  they  may  await  the 
hour  of  fortune,  confident  that  it  will  always 
come  and  that  no  mortal  ever  yet  has  been 
disbarred  from  the  circle  of  its  beneficence. 

They  know  well  that  if  the  ordinary  sources 
of  ill  fortune  are  found  in  wilfulness  and  vacil- 
lation, the  active  factors  of  success  are  found  in 
confidence,  energy,  patience  and  action. 


HOW  TO   ARGUE 

AND  WIN 

By   GRENVILLE   KLEISER 

TVriNETY-NINE  MEN  in  a  hundred  can  argue 
•*-^  to  one  who  can  argue  and  win.  Yet  upon 
this  faculty  more  than  any  other  depends  the 
power  of  the  lawyer,  business  man,  preacher,  poli- 
tician, salesman,  and  teacher.  The  desire  to  win 
is  characteristic  of  all  men.  "Almost  to  win  a 
case,"  <*Almost  to  close  a  sale,"  "Almost  to  make 
a  convert,"  or  "Ahnost  to  gain  a  vote,"  brings 
neither  satis&ction  nor  success. 

In  this  book  will  be  found  definite  suggestions  for 
training  the  mind  in  accurate  thinking  and  the  power 
of  clear  and  effective  statement.  It  is  the  outcome 
of  many  years  of  experience  m  teachmg  men  "to 
think  on  their  feet."  The  aim  throughout  is  prac- 
tical, and  the  ultimate  object  a  Imowledge  of 
successful  argumentation. 

CONTENTS 

Introductory— Truth  and  Pacts-Clearnesg  and  Conctoeneas— 
The  Use  of  Worda— The  SyUwriam— Paulta-PeraonaUty— The 
SSr^'wJa*  ^S"^®SL.^?^5r5»«  Pre»cher-The  Saleaman- 
The  l>ubUc  Speaker-Brlef-Drawinc-The  Diacipline  of  Debate- 
Tjwt-Cause  imd  Effect-Beading  HabltB-Qneationa  for  Solution 
— Speclmena  of  Argumentation— Golden  Brnea  in  Argumentation. 
n?5Siil^^  I^tnre Abraham  Idneoln 

Improving  the  Memory, ^Jtaac  WatU 

I2mo,  Cloth,     $1,2^,  net}   iy  vunl^  $I.SS» 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY,  PublishefS 
NEW  YORK  ANo  LONDON 


How  to  Deal  With  Human 
Nature  in  Business 

A  new  and   thorough-going   book  of 
practical  business  direction,  suggestion,  and 
example  by  Shermn  Cody,  A.M.,  based 
on  the  real  psychology  of  dealings  between 
man  and  man.    Not  so  much  a  book  about 
business  as  it  is  a  book  on  how  to  do  more 
business.    Presents  a  series  of  forceful  and 
illuminating  talks  on  National  Character- 
istics,  Service,  Your  Own  Valuation  of 
Yourself,  The  Mind  and  How  It  Works, 
The  Imaginative   Method  and  Its  Uses, 
Principles    of    Appeal,    Proportion    and 
Emphasis,  Analyzing  a  Business,  Corre- 
spondence,   Various    Styles    in    Business 
Letter-Writing,    System   in    Mail    Order 
Correspondence,  A  Study  of  the  Grocery 
Business,  Collection  by  Mail,  etc.    Should 
be  read  by  every  man  in  business  or  who 
proposes  to  go  into  it. 

The  American  Banker  says  of  it:  "This  practical 
book  is  written  by  a  man  who  really  knows  what  the 
conditioni  of  life  are,  what  are  the  problems  that 
must  be  solved,  and  he  has  selected  such  principles 
as  will  help  to  solve  them." 

Crown,  8vo,  Cloth.     $2.00;  by  Mail,  $2.12 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY.  Publishers 
NEW  YORK  and  LONDON 


SUCCESSFUL 
SELLING 

By  E.  LEICHTER 

A  practical  treatise  which  covers  the 
various  essentials  of  selling  efl5ciency  in 
an  interesting,  inspiring,  and  yet  common- 
sense  manner.  The  every-day,  practical 
salesman,  as  well  as  the  "greenest"  novice, 
will  enjoy  and  profit  by  this  sensible  book. 
Out  of  years  of  experience  the  author 
analyzes  and  explains  every  phase  of  sell- 
ing. His  chapter  headings  are:  The 
Modern  Aspect  of  Selling;  Requisite 
Qualities;  The  Approach;  The  Presen- 
tation; The  Closing;  Negations;  The 
Larger  Sale ;  The  Story  of  a  Career. 

Leslie* s  Weekly  says  it  is  "«  small  but  yalnable 
book  filled  with  the  meat  of  practical  common-sense 
hints  in  the  art  of  selling." 

Price,  SO  cents,  net;  by  mail,  S4  cents 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY.  PubUshcrs 

NEW  YORK  and  LONDON 


SHORT  TALKS  ON 

Retail  Selling 

By  S.  ROLAND  HALL 

F0rm,rly  Principal  of  the  SchBol  *»// ''f l^i^'^j^f  */- .^•'•'" 
Alpha  Portland  Coment 

A  volume  of  chatty  inspirational  talks 
on  retail  selling,  calculated  to  arouse  in 
salesfolk  a  keen  interest  in  the  art  of 
properly  handling  the  customer,  and  to 
keep  them  constantly  on  the  alert  to 
sense  and  seize  every  selling  opportunity. 

Here  Are  Few  Headings  Sekctedat  Random 
Through  the  Book 

The  Great  Buiiness  of  Retail  Selling— How  to 
Start  a  Sale— How  Two  Managers  Managed— Per- 
sonality—Making  Sales  Easier— Overcoming  Diffi- 
dence—Words Commonly  Misused— The  Customer  s 
Attitude-Wishing  and  Working— The  Right  Way 
and  The  Wrong  Way-  Letting  the  Customer  Talk— 
The  Hard-to-Handle  Customer. 


/2jiia.  Chth.     75  cents,  met;  h  mail,  87  cents 


I 


FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY.  Publiihert 
NEW  YORK  sad  LONDON 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


0035515171 


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